Seven steps to a green data center

jcatcw writes: Computerworld's Rob Mitchell has advice about saving money by saving enery. First, consolidate — removing physical servers can save up to $1,200 in energy costs per server per year. Use of power management features and turning off unused servers can cut energy requirements by about 20%. Go with high-efficiency power supplies. Break down internal business barriers, especially between IT and facilities — a watt saved in data center power consumption saves at least a watt in cooling. Forty-one percent of Computerworld readers say they don't know how much energy their data centers use — either because it's not metered separately from the rest of the facility or because it's not part of the IT budget. But greening is about more than just energy. A Fannie Mae facility received points toward LEED certification for being located within a half-mile of public transportation, and by providing bicycle storage areas, changing rooms, preferred carpool parking and refueling stations for alternative fuel vehicles.