This code, developed in collaboration with the British Computer Society and IT equipment vendors, aims to decrease energy demand, ensure future supply, and reduce costs. It represents an initial response to the rapidly increasing energy consumption in data centers across the European Union.
This voluntary code of conduct outlines best practices for improving energy efficiency in data centers. It establishes two categories. The first is the "Participants," which includes data center owners and operators. These individuals are required to adopt and implement the code's best practices and submit an annual report on their energy consumption. The second category is the "Advocates," which includes vendors, consultancies, service companies, government agencies, and associations. These advocates are expected to develop
products that enable data center owners to meet the code's requirements and—importantly—to raise awareness about energy efficiency and the Code of Conduct. This group includes, for example, Green Grid, Sun Microsystems, and Belden, which became a Trustee in 2009.
The best practices of the European Code of Conduct help in the selection and qualification process for new IT equipment and services installed in a data center. They take into account factors such as the equipment's power consumption, power management characteristics, the Energy Star label, operating intervals, temperature and humidity, and the application of grid and virtualization technologies, to name just a few of the techniques available to improve data center efficiency.
One of the most energy-intensive aspects of a data center is cooling, which is estimated to account for up to 40% of a center's total energy consumption. It has also been found to be the area where the most energy waste occurs, largely due to an oversupply of cool air to the data center, estimated at 2.6 times the amount actually consumed by the IT load. Therefore, improved cooling and air management can lead to a considerable improvement in energy consumption and, consequently, a greater energy return.
The European Code of Conduct's best practices also suggest design concepts for improving cooling and air management, with the basic idea being to contain and separate cool air from heated return air at the data center floor. Belden can provide solutions to improve cooling and air management within the data center.
As global demand for data services continues to grow, IT infrastructures are evolving rapidly, and energy consumption plays a key role in that evolution. There are many environmental and financial benefits to controlling and reducing energy consumption in the data center. The European Code of Conduct outlines many ways to achieve this, and Belden, as an Advocate, can provide valuable support in this regard.
For more information, please visit www.beldensolutions.com
Author:
Amba Bradshaw, Marketing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Belden
