A free online tool released today by The Green Grid, a
consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data
centers, shows data center managers exactly how much money the
use of outside air (AKA free cooling) can save them. The Green
Grid also provides a map that shows the effectiveness of free
cooling in locations across the U.S. Air conditioning accounts
for a third to one half of centers' power demand. In an industry
that uses 1.5% of all power in the U.S., cutting back on air
conditioning could mean big energy and cash savings. These
potential savings aren't being ignored by savvy companies. Dell,
for example, has saved $53 million over 3 years by implementing
virtualization technology and keeping IT equipment up to date.
Google has also saved tens of millions by dollars by using
efficient data centers. Data center managers interested in the
Green Grid tool should remember that individual savings depends
on climate, local energy costs, IT load, and facility load. For
example, a 1 megawatt facility