When designing a data
center, it is important to consider how to mitigate the significant amount of
energy required to cool increasing equipment densities. Efficient cooling is not
only an ecofriendly choice, but also a smart one in today’s competitive business
marketplace.
The
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) certification, which recognizes best-in-class
building strategies and practices. LEED-certified
buildings save money and resources, and have a positive effect on the health of
occupants, while promoting renewable, clean energy.
Over the years LEED has
helped move forward building technologies, as well as integrated design and
operating practices, which has led to a huge worldwide growth of the green building sector.
In response to this,
Chatsworth Products (CPI) developed its Passive Cooling®
Solutions, which provides equipment cooling performance
in all elements of the data center mechanical plant, thereby reducing overall
energy costs.
Data
center facilities are especially nuanced in their design and energy
requirements, which is why USGBC developed specific LEED standards for these highly
energy-consuming facilities. They are so unique, in fact, that the rating scale
to achieve LEED certification in data centers is very stringent.
LEED
scoring is typically based on a percentage of fulfillment of specified
requirements and it is direct CPI contribution that could make a difference in
not missing out on vital LEED credits.
CPI
can contribute to achieving 12-20 credits in the areas of advanced energy
metering, low-emitting materials, interior lighting and optimized energy
performance.
LEED
certification levels include:
- Certified: 40-49 points
earned
- Silver: 50-59 points
earned
- Gold: 60-79 points earned
- Platinum: 80+ points
earned
In
addition to the environmental benefits and recognition, the benefits of a LEED
certification include:
- Your data center is automatically recognized as environmentally
friendly with proven low-cost operating structure
- Monetary paybacks that come with building a more
energy-efficient facility
Click to read more about CPI’s Passive
Cooling Solutions. Be sure to also check out our case studies on BendBroadband and Hostirian to learn how
we helped these companies reach sustainable solutions in their data centers.
By CJ Castillo, Technology Writer