U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Federal Energy Management Program

New and Underutilized Technology: Air-side Economizers and Filters for Data Centers

The following information outlines key deployment considerations for air-side economizers and filters for data centers within the Federal sector. This information spans:

• Benefits
• Application
• Key Factors for Deployment
• Ranking Criteria
• Resources

Benefits

Air-side economizers and filters leverage 100% outside-air cooling capability in a data center to provide free cooling.

Application

Air-side economizers and filters are applicable in larger data centers with raised floors and multiple rack aisles.

Key Factors for Deployment

Air-side economizers and filters may require larger ductwork. Very large energy savings are possible depending on the climate.

Ranking Criteria

Federal energy savings, cost-effectiveness, and probability of success are ranked 0-5 with 0 representing the lowest ranking and 5 representing the highest ranking. The weighted score is ranked 0-100 with 0 representing the lowest ranking and 100 representing the highest ranking.

Resources

The following resources are available:

• Impact of Air Filtration on the Energy and Indoor Air Quality of Economizer-based Data Centers in the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Territory: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) report covering the application of air filtration within PG&E customer economizer-based data centers.

• Should Data Centers be Afraid of Air-side Economizer Use: LBNL review of the ASHRAE TC 9.9 white paper entitled Gaseous and Particulate Contamination Guidelines for Data Centers.

• Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design: FEMP resource to help Federal data center managers design and operate energy-efficient data centers.