Providing data centre energy solutions for a government department

Challenge

A federal government agency in Queensland is dedicated to the continuous improvement of the energy efficiency and overall environmental sustainability of its offices. This extends to its owned and operated on-site data centres. The government agency appointed JLL to provide an engineering solution that would ensure its data centres run efficiently to keep costs down while also maintaining reliability – both of which are critical functions for these facilities.

Approach

After an extensive review, including analysis of real-time data, we implemented a strategy for improving the energy efficiency, reducing the electrical peak demand, and improving the thermal performance of the client’s data centres. Working with the agency’s information and communications technology team, we changed the operating conditions of the data centres and modified the existing (CRAC units) computer room air conditioning units. In addition, we disabled the internal heater units and floor air diffusers were relocated to improve airflow.

Result

Our efforts led to a reduction in the total energy consumption of the data centre without any operational disruptions or major temperature fluctuations. In summary:

• Peak electrical demand reduced by 55 percent
• Electrical consumption reduced by 35 percent
• Room temperature and humidity was stabilised, requiring fewer compressor starts and reducing fan speed, improving equipment longevity.

The success of this project was a testament to the trust we established with our client to deliver an outstanding outcome. As a direct result of the solutions we provided, our client achieves $3,000 per month in cost savings after a five-month return on investment.