If your business uses a data centre, you’ll likely need to rely on a lot of computing hardware and software. And, with such heavy usage, there’s a chance you require an abundance of energy. But, how are you able to measure how efficient your energy usage is, to ensure you’re not wasting time and money?
One way you can do so is by using PUE – a metric that determines how much energy efficiency your data centre is using. To ensure you’re using PUE correctly, our blog below explains how to calculate it, the advantages of using it, and what steps can be taken to reduce your PUE.
If you’d like to hire M247 to help lower your PUE, or to use our managed colocation services, we’ll be happy to help – just make your enquiry here.
What is power usage effectiveness (PUE)?
PUE is a metric used to calculate the overall energy efficiency of a data centre. It represents the ratio between the energy consumed by the data centre, and the energy needed to power the IT equipment.
Since data centres use power to fuel their IT equipment, as well as to store and process data, they typically use a lot of energy. And, if the data centre doesn’t operate energy efficiently, it will consequently mean they use more energy and spend more money.
That’s why PUE is used – to provide a benchmark that a centre can use to work out how they can make improvements to their energy efficiency.
Why do data centres use so many servers in one place?
Data centres use a large number of servers. In fact, an average full-scale data centre will likely have 100,000 servers.
But, just why do data centres need so many servers in one place?
Security
Data centres need to ensure compliance with regulations regarding data protection, which can then reinforce the importance of this compliance within your business. Compliance with these rules means your business isn’t at risk of being fined for breaching GDPR – so your data and your company is in safe hands. Plus, it prevents your data from being stolen and ultimately upholds cyber security.
Cooling
What’s more, some IT equipment needs to be kept together in order to function optimally – if distance is too great, it can affect processing capability, and ultimately, this will affect the overall performance of a business.
Storage
Businesses that use data centres will likely not have the right power supplies in-house to operate seamlessly. Furthermore, these businesses will likely need to store a lot of data – which a data centre allows it to do. Most data centres can offer space of up to 100,000 feet, meaning it’s able to store 100,000 servers.
How is PUE calculated?
PUE is calculated using a formula, but first, you must assess the following:
- IT load: This means all the energy that your IT units use in your data centre, including your computers, monitors, charging stations etc. You can use a watt-hour metre to take this measurement.
- Total facility energy consumption: This means all of the energy consumed at the facility – for example, it includes your cooling systems and lightings. To work this out, you can use a utility metre.
Once you’ve worked out the above considerations, you can use the following formula for PUE calculation:
PUE Formula:
Total amount of energy used divided by the total IT equipment energy usage.
What is a good PUE?
The higher a data centre’s PUE is, the lower the centre’s energy efficiency. Typically, a good PUE is any value that is close to 1.0.
The closer the PUE is to 1.0, the higher the centre’s energy efficiency. A bad PUE ratio would be considered 3.0 or higher.
What are the advantages of using PUE?
Using PUE can be advantageous for your data centre in several ways. Let’s take a look at some in more detail.
Helps improve energy efficiency
One of the main advantages of using PUE is that it can help improve energy efficiency within your organisation. For example, you can use the metric every quarter to see what operations are making your business run in a more energy-efficient way.
If your PUE is high – you can conclude that something in your business isn’t working, and set yourself time periods to monitor how well the measures you’ve taken to improve energy efficiency are working.
Sustainability
As PUE metrics are all about looking at energy usage, as a result, it can help reduce the environmental impact of a data centre.
For example, increased energy efficiency can lower greenhouse gas emissions caused by fossil fuels (which are used to power equipment). Therefore, using less energy will burn less fossil fuels and create less greenhouse gas emissions.
Cost-effective
Using a PUE metric can also help improve cost-effectiveness in your company. The less energy efficient your facility is, the more energy that is used and wasted. Consequently, this means you could be wasting money on unused energy.
Since a PUE indicates how much energy your equipment and facility uses, you can take certain steps to lower your PUE rate – and ultimately decrease the amount of money you spend on energy.
What steps can be taken to lower PUE?
There are several steps you can take to lower your PUE – and they don’t necessarily have to take up much time or cost an exponential amount of money. For example, you could:
Virtualise servers
Virtualising your servers can also help to lower your PUE. If there are less physical servers, there’s less energy consumed – which means the power infrastructure can be smaller, and you’ll spend less money pumping energy into it.
To do so, you can use virtualisation software to run multiple virtual servers – but you will need to have a physical host server to perform this.
Improve cooling systems and optimise air production
Using inefficient cooling systems can make your PUE higher. This is because these systems might struggle to adapt to varying workloads and reliance on IT equipment. As a result, they’ll use more energy in an effort to cool the devices down.
Ensure your cooling systems work to the best of their ability and are replaced every three-seven years. You could also use blanking panels across empty rack units to prevent hot air from entering the servers.
Use energy-efficient lighting
Another way to lower your PUE is to use energy-efficient lighting. It might make up a small percentage of the total energy load, but it can make a difference in the long-term.
Energy efficient lighting works by using motion sensors to detect when there is a physical presence in the room – and will therefore turn the lights on, and off when a room is empty. This type of lighting might also use LED bulbs – which are more efficient than normal light bulbs.
Find Out More About M247’s Popular Colocation Services
Now you know the PUE meaning, you can use it to determine just how much energy is used and how efficiently within your data centre. If you’re looking to rent a space in a data centre for your IT facilities, you can turn to M247.
At M247, we have our very own global colocation service, with several facilities located around the world. We provide our clients with 24/7 support, ensuring your hardware and data will be kept safe from prying eyes – keeping you and your business safe.
To get started, all you need to do is contact us, and we’ll get to work straightaway.
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