Equinix to Adjust the Thermostat to Optimise Data Centre Energy Use

Overview

The release states that cooling is about 25% of Equinix's global energy use and expects efficiency improvements of up to 10% at various sites. A higher setpoint is thus offered as an energy lever that needs no new equipment; because cooling's share is so large, even a small rise in setpoint creates a meaningful energy difference at portfolio scale. The expectation is worded as 'up to 10%', so some sites may see clearly less.

The target is about 27 degC (80 degF), aligned with the ASHRAE A1/A1A envelope, which is the top of ASHRAE's recommended 18-27 degC range. Later Equinix releases cite new builds such as Frankfurt FR13 with a typical operating temperature of 27 degC. The plan is multi-year because inlet-temperature limits in customer contracts and existing sites cannot be changed all at once.

The release also gives renewable coverage: above 90% since 2018 and 95% in 2021, a reminder that most of the plan's carbon effect comes from the grid supply mix. As a press release it shows no measured PUE effect; the 10% is only an anticipated upper bound, and the economizer-hour gain has to be weighed against any rise in server fan power.

Key points

1. Target operating temperature about 27 degC (80 degF), aligned with the ASHRAE A1/A1A envelope.
2. Cooling is about 25% of Equinix's total global energy use.
3. Anticipated energy-efficiency (PUE) improvement of up to 10% at various locations.
4. Renewable coverage above 90% since 2018; 95% in 2021.
5. Later releases cite new builds (e.g. Frankfurt FR13) with typical 27 degC operation.

Using it in design

• Default the cooling module's supply-air setpoint for colo profiles to 27 degC (upper end of the ASHRAE recommended 18-27 degC), with a sensitivity chart of PUE and economizer hours versus setpoint (e.g. 22 to 27 degC).
• Expose an 'SLA max inlet' parameter, since customer SLAs often cap inlet temperature.
• Show the 10% figure as an anticipated upper bound, not as a measured result.

Who should read it

Colocation operators and designers planning energy savings by raising the cooling setpoint.

Related standards

• ASHRAE TC9.9 Thermal Guidelines (Class A1)

Publication details

Authors

Equinix

Publisher

Equinix

Year

2022

Document language

English

Source type

Expert / community

Access

Free to read

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation