New energy management systems may do more than just help data centre operators better control power and cooling; it may actually help in the fight against Legionnaire's Disease. In the UK, the regulations regarding Legionella monitoring require regular on-site maintenance and temperature checks in all public and workplace buildings.  There are new systems around that may eliminate a portion of those on-site checks through automated monitoring. Legionella bacteria can easily grow in water storage systems.  And because the bacteria spreads so easily, a contaminated storage system can pass the contamination along to cooling towers or a building's hot and cold water system. The bacteria are killed by high water temperatures.  If a cooling system enables managers to monitor water temperatures one can ensure bacteria-free water. Legionnaire's Disease is a severe, and sometimes fatal, form of pneumonia that is usually contracted by inhaling the bacteria. This is why the focus is on protecting water supplies. Since the bacteria cannot be spread by normal human contact, keeping the water supply clean will go a long way toward preventing new cases of Legionnaire's.

Automation Is Key

Ideally systems should be used to monitor temperatures 24/7 and, when necessary, adjust those temperatures accordingly.  Automation allows companies to reduce the number of on-site visits necessary, saving money by reducing man-hours, travel time, and the other expenses related to moving from site to site. Automation also adds greater reliability and control because it reduces the possibility of human error. Advanced software can be programmed to always work within certain parameters to correctly maintain desired temperatures. All of this can be done with little human intervention.

Other Applications

Automated monitoring of temperatures in the data centre environment is but one example. The automation factor could be a game changer for data centre power and cooling. When a company is developing a new data centre or collocation space, the energy management system could be built right into the infrastructure from the ground up. It would help companies better maintain constant temperatures and reduce energy consumption. That's always a good thing. When considering which companies you should use for cooling systems, save yourself shopping around and use DATACENTRE.ME to facilitate various introductions.  Contact caroline@datacentre.me/ +44 (0) 7544 121900