Data centres are an integral part of modern building services. These are where computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage facilities, are kept. Also contained in data centres may be power supplies, communications peripherals, environmental controls (e.g. air conditioning and fire containment), and security devices.

Recent research shows that 60 percent of UK businesses want to reduce their carbon emissions in the next 18 months. However, almost 25 percent of data centre managers don’t know what they can do to become more energy efficient. Worse, two thirds of this country’s data centre managers have no idea how much energy they are using. This presents a great opportunity for suppliers of information technologies (IT) to add consultation on green issues to the services they offer.

Indeed, air conditioning and cooling generally account for 30 to 70 percent of energy usage in data centres. To cut energy consumption, project managers and engineers need to consult their IT suppliers when designing and delivering building services. Measures to be considered include efficient use of storage facilities, more effective monitoring of heating and cooling, and detailed analysis of power delivery.

Take Google, who currently runs more than 300,000 computers worldwide to support its numerous web services. “Google-designed data centres use nearly five times less energy than conventional facilities to feed and cool the computers inside,???? the company claimed. “Our engineers work hard to optimise every element in the data centre, from the chip to the cooling tower.????