Energy Efficiency Assessments

Our Energy Efficiency Assessments identify opportunities within existing power and cooling systems that will lower your total power usage. Ascent provides programmatic steps that allow you to gain control of your operating environment through the institution of leading energy management processes, systems, software automation, and control technologies.

We have helped clients improve overall site efficiencies, with quantifiable returns on investments, through our Energy Efficiency Assessments. Our recommendations result in the “freeing up” of power from inefficient mechanical and electrical performance in order for your current architecture to have the power and cooling capability to support business growth. By reducing your mechanical and electrical power usage, total facility power usage decreases and improves your data center’s Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) factor.

In many cases, the costs of the modifications to the existing facilities can be partially or fully covered through utility rebate programs. Ascent will determine what rebate options exist and work on your behalf to complete the programs and secure these rebates.

Ascent can help your data center become more efficient in several strategic areas:

  • Diagnose & Measure: In an Efficiency Assessment, we concentrate on the mechanical and electrical systems to evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency in current and future use. Ascent evaluates areas for optimization such as:
    • Thermal Analysis - Measure temperature profile across the rack, row and throughout the data center for compliance with ASHRAE TC9.9 Best Practices for Datacom Facility Energy Efficiency.
    • Air Management - Measure air flow from the equipment, perforated tiles, ceiling diffusers and cable or miscellaneous floor openings. We’ll provide recommendations for proper hot/cold aisle containment strategies and placement, opening sealing, rack blanking plates, etc.
    • Cooling Plants - Evaluate the base system cooling methodology and operation to determine system energy efficiency and potential improvements.
    • Free Cooling - Evaluate the cooling systems for the incorporation of free cooling methodologies; airside economizer, waterside economizer, evaporative cooling, etc.
    • UPS Efficiency - Evaluate system efficiency ratings based on all mode of operation at existing and full build-out capacities.
    • Electrical Distribution - Review distribution system for excessive losses due to aging equipment, multiple components and transformations, and provide recommendations to optimize layout.
    • Lighting - Review equipment component types and ratings and provide recommendations for equipment upgrades.
    • Water Usage - Review operation of evaporative cooling and humidification system and recommend alternative solutions to reduce water consumption while maintaining data center space environmental conditions.

  • Manage: Ascent's Energy Efficiency Assessments gives customers the resources to control their operating environments. We provide the strategy for instituting leading energy management processes, systems and software automation, and control technologies.

  • Monitor: Implement strategies for energy and water efficiency, and watch your energy costs lower with Ascent's reporting tools.

Ascent is helping customers plan, build, and upgrade to efficient data centers in programmatic steps with solutions that offer low operational risk and fast financial payback. Contact Ascent today for an energy efficiency assessment quote.