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Seattle City Light, BPA, EPRI to Host Data Center Efficiency Workshop

Seattle City Light, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and the Electric Power research Institute (EPRI) are conducting a workshop March 10 that will explain how to provide a reliable, more efficient operating environment for data centers and IT equipment rooms that could reduce an entire building’s electric costs by 5 to 10 percent.

Seattle City Light, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and the Electric Power research Institute (EPRI) are conducting a workshop March 10 that will explain how to provide a reliable, more efficient operating environment for data centers and IT equipment rooms that could reduce an entire building’s electric costs by 5 to 10 percent.

Data Center and IT equipment rooms are often one of the largest energy uses in a commercial building.  Even a small server room, can consume more than half the electricity used in a commercial building.

Often the cooling systems in these facilities use more power than the IT equipment itself.  Poor air management in these rooms also reduces the reliability of the cooling equipment which can lead to equipment failure.

The workshop at the Museum of Flight in Seattle brings together data center operators, utilities, and industry players to explore the challenges that face modern data centers in cooling, with a focus on efficient airflow management. Experts will share insight into best-practices for airflow management in data centers. Essential tools to build a business case for these solutions will be provided. In addition, a panel of utility participants will delve into the impact and success of utility incentive programs for energy efficiency, and how the measurement and verification process for incentives can be streamlined for these measures.

A detailed agenda and registration are available online via the EPRI website. The cost is $50.

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.