LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

From the company that brought you the first full line of smart grid-enabled appliances, GE is now launching additions and enhancements to its innovative suite of Brillion home energy solutions and laying the foundation for an energy-saving connected home.

Weve leveled the playing field by providing a product that communicates a homes continuous real-time energy consumption to consumers without a smart meter, said William Paul, product manager, home energy, GE Appliances. Our new Whole-Home Sensor connects to the consumers electrical panel and allows them to understand their energy consumption without waiting for their electricity provider to install a smart meter.

Whole-Home Sensor: The new Whole-Home Sensor, an integral part of home-energy solutions, is being used in several utility test pilots, including test homes in Warner Robins, Ga., as part of Flint Energies recently announced pilot project. It will be available broadly in the second quarter of this year.

The sensor sends consumption data from large 240-volt applications, such as a panel box or pool pump, to the homes Nucleus energy manager, which then communicates that data to a consumers existing smartphones or personal computers helping them make smarter energy choices.

Knowledge of whole-home energy consumption provides consumers with insights into their electricity costs before the bill arrives; offers them feedback on electricity-intensive activities, such as water heating; and allows them to quantify the benefits of their personal energy-efficiency efforts.

Smart-Plug Controls: On a more granular level, GE is also adding Brillion-enabled Smart Plugs, which act as sensors for electronics and non-smart devices that plug into standard 120-volt outlets. These sensor plugs communicate with the Nucleus energy manager, enabling consumers to track electrical usage by the outlet for most 120-volt appliances and devices.

These sensors turn any standard 120-volt consumer good into a smart home capable device. The sensors can be moved from device to device, enabling the consumer to perform an audit of their electrical appliances and electronics or to monitor them continuously for ongoing feedback providing critical insights to help consumers reduce energy consumption.

Energy data and energy monitoring are GEs first steps toward a fully connected home, Paul said. We fully expect to expand our products beyond energy, bringing more convenience and control elements to the consumer. The beauty of having built-in communications features in our products means that we can also add functionality that makes peoples lives easier.

More Connected Communications Features: GEs Brillion-enabled thermostats help consumers easily adjust heating and cooling schedules from their Nucleus software interface and alter household temperatures and operating modes remotely from their iPhone.

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GE Unveils More Brillion™ Ideas for Consumer Energy Savings

CLINTON The Clinton School Board will meet tonight, with the board to consider the approval of the schematic design of the new middle school and the design and development of an innovation classroom at Clinton High School.

The Clinton Middle School Design Team has forwarded their recommendation to the board for approval of the schematic design and also is seeking approval to authorize moving into the design development phase.

Also the district and Clinton High School have been working on development plans with FRK for the past six months to remodel an unused space at Clinton High School into the new innovation classroom. The renovation is paid for through personal donations, company donations, grants and capital improvement funds.

The board also will consider approval of a change order to install a new roof top unit for heating and cooling for the remodeled administration center at a cost of $49,425. This will leave the contingency for the remodeling project at $5,307, according to the district. The Estes construction manager on the project states that the project will come in at the original budget projection.

The board also will consider approval of a contract between the Clinton School District and Clinton Community College to provide a program in construction trades for the 2012-2013 school year.

The board also will approve the contract between the district and CCC to provide the automotive technology program for the upcoming school year.

The Boundary Task Force, led by Jeff Reed, also will make its recommendation for boundary changes. If approved by the board, the changes would be put in place for the 2012-2013 school year.

The task force has been meeting since November to examine current and future enrollment patterns for the four elementary buildings. The recommendation will only affect the elementary schools.

Also on the agenda are a presentation by Clinton High School Principal Karinne Tharaldson Jones and members of the Clinton High School Family and Consumer Science Department about how a Childhood Development curriculum may impact course opportunities and provide an extended vocational strand to CHS students.

The board will consider a bid from Hartz Lock for a cost of $55,734 to replace all doors and door frames at Whittier Elementary School through the use of a $100,000 Harkin Fire-Safety grant and the adoption of a service delivery plan to address special education concerns as presented to the district.

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Clinton Middle School design on agenda tonight

LOS ANGELES -The concept is simple: Make a modern, prefabricated home with the lowest environmental impact -- and price -- possible.

It's called the C6, and it premiered in two locations this month: Palm Springs, where it was part of a Modernism Week prefab showcase open through Sunday, and the TED Conference in Long Beach, Calif., running through March 2.

Starting at $179,000, the C6 prefab from Santa Monica, Calif.-based LivingHomes is half the price of the company's other models. It's the first production home designed to achieve LEED platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, and it's the first to incorporate a range of products certified by Cradle to Cradle, the environmental rating program founded by sustainability gurus William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The cost, $145 per square foot, includes 34 tons of carbon offsets.

"When we started in 2006, we wanted to bring homes to a class of consumers who value design, health and sustainability in the products they buy," said LivingHomes chief executive Steve Glenn, citing Prius-driving, Whole Foods-shopping, iPhone-wielding, Patagonia-wearing consumers as his target. "Production builders haven't historically targeted those people. LivingHomes does."

To accomplish that goal, LivingHomes has devised a formula: Collaborate with architects to create standardized homes that integrate environmental sustainability and use factory production techniques to build homes cheaper and faster than traditional construction, Glenn said. In the case of the C6, the design was inspired by California real estate developer Joseph Eichler, who from 1950 to 1974 built tract homes centered on courtyards accessible through multiple points. In the C6, living spaces at both ends of the house open with sliding glass doors onto a miniature courtyard, aiding air flow and the blending of indoor and outdoor space.

Three modules fit together to make a 1,232-square-foot house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and 9-foot ceilings. It takes less than two months to construct the C6 at the factory and one day to install on-site.

Other benefits besides speed: The paint is VOC-free, and the cabinets and carpet are free of formaldehyde and urea. LED light fixtures and "smart" controls for heating and cooling aid energy efficiency. An abundance of clerestory windows and skylights reduces the need for electric light. (A 4-kilowatt photovoltaic array is part of the zero-energy C6 on tour but is not included in the price.) To save water, the house also has low-flow fixtures and gray water-ready plumbing.

Many of the building materials have recycled content, including Trex decking, Andersen double-pane windows and Caesarstone quartz counters in the kitchen and bathrooms. McDonough designed a 100 percent recycled and recyclable doorknob for the house. His Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has certified other products used in the C6, including the Owens Corning insulation in the ceiling, floors and walls, and Mosa bathroom tiles.

Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Prefab's new eco promise

(ARA) - When it comes to home improvement, you can spend money in two basic ways: on things that make your home look better and things that make it function better. Under the first category, you'll find all the things you want to do, like replacing narrow casement windows with a lovely bay window. Under the second, falls all the things you must do, like replacing those drafty windows with something more energy-efficient.

When "want to" and "have to" meet, they create the opportunity to make a smart buying decision - and choose an upgrade that will look good and improve the livability of your home. The key to making smart home improvement decisions is to recognize these opportunities and take full advantage of them.

Here are a few "have to" improvements that have the potential to turn into a good-looking, energy-efficient, enjoyment-enhancing "want to."

Replacing the hot water heater.

You probably don't care what a new hot water heater looks like sitting in your garage or basement - or wherever it resides in your home. But the right replacement water heater can help your house achieve a lovely shade of green. High energy-efficiency water heaters can help reduce energy usage, thereby trimming your energy bills and your home's environmental impact. Solar water heating systems take the beauty a step further by using the power of the sun, collected through low-profile solar panels on the roof, to heat water - at a monthly savings that's about 80 percent less than the cost of traditional heaters.

Getting some light in here.

Do you really need a bunch of scientific studies to tell you that a home filled with natural light just feels better? Probably not. Illuminating your home with natural light is a smart buying decision on multiple levels. First, you don't pay to power the sun. Second, natural light delivers a host of mood-enhancing benefits. If you have the wall space, by all means add some windows.

But for rooms where a window is impossible (like a powder room) or where you don't want to sacrifice privacy (like a master bathroom) a tubular skylight is a good alternative. Some, like Velux's Sun Tunnel products, are easy enough to install that a seasoned do-it-yourselfer could accomplish the task. They cost less than traditional skylights and bring natural light to hard-to-light areas like closets, hallways and other small spaces.

Getting some air in here.

Just as natural sun is good for your mood, ventilation can be good for your health. An Energy Star qualified venting skylight is a great way to passively vent stale, moist air from inside your home, especially from baths and kitchens. While some skylights are "fixed," those that do open can be controlled by a remote to open when you want fresh air and close when you want to retain warmth. They can also close automatically in case of rain. In addition, they introduce free light into your home. Adding blinds - also remote-controlled - can help you better control the amount of sun a skylight admits into your home. And blinds are not just functional - you can get them in colors and patterns to complement your decor while increasing energy efficiency. Compared to other venting solutions, a skylight is a relatively low-cost, great-looking way to address ventilation issues while adding drama to a space. Log on to http://www.veluxusa.com to learn more about skylights.

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How to turn must-do home improvements into things of beauty

JACKSONVILLE- You walk past it every day, giving it no attention until you're too hot or too cold. Your thermostat. There are programmable ones out therebut many are hard to operate. Nest Labs says it has a solution with its Wi-Fi Learning Thermostat.

I ordereda Nestlast year and tested it in my house for seven weeks. I'll have the results for you but first a little background on the Nest.

The Nest was developed by former Apple executives. The thermostat looks like no other. It's ahigh tech orb-like device with brushed steel.

After I took off my old thermostat, I hooked up the wires to install the Nest. It's a relatively simple process that took me about 30 minutes. Plug it in and the Nest comes to life.

The first thing you do is have the Nest sniff out your homes Wi-Fi. It's very easy to use by turning the outside wheel and tapping on its glass. To raise the temperature, turn theouter ringto the right, to lower it, to the left. When the leaf appears it means you're saving the most energy. But the best feature is the Nest learns every time you adjust the temperature. After a week it sets a schedule. "We had to build this feature to learn your habits, to basically learn your inputs. It solves this core problem of helping people build a schedule to help people save energy and make them more comfortable," says Nest co-founder Matt Rogers.

You can change the schedule anytime you want at home or by an app on your iPhone or iPad. It also has an auto-away mode. Sensors in the thermostat know when you're home. When the Nest doesn't detect anyone in the house for two hours it adjusts the temperature.

Cool device. But it cost $249. So has it saved me money since I started using it since January 7th? My first monthly bill showed I used an average of 63-kilowatt hours of energy per day. But I installed the Nest halfway through the billing period. The real test would come during the next bill. I found I used about two fewer kilowatt hours per day. That's a 26 cents a day savings or an average of $7.80 a month or $93 a year. Was all thatdue to the Nest? That's still too early to tell.

JEA's Conservation & Efficiency Specialist Brian Pippin says the high tech thermostat will likely save you money for one reason, it programs itself. "If you spent $100 for a programmable thermostat that you did have to program and you did it incorrectly, no savings there. If you bought the Nest for $249and it programmed itself, it may take a year and a half but at least you're getting your investment back."

Heating and cooling account for almost 46% of the electricity usage in your home with the rest going to water heating, appliances, lighting andotheritems like computers. If you adjust the temperature just one degree on your thermostat, it will save you 5% on your heating bill. The Nest claims to save its users 15%-30% on their bill.

At a$93 dollar a year savings, it would take about two and a half years to make back the cost of the $249 Nest. My test lasted only 7 weeks. Plus, there are variety of other factors that go into energy usage like the outside temperature and how warm or cool you like your house. The jury is still out if the Nest will feather bank accounts but one thing is certain, it sure does look cool on the hallway wall.

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Can The Nest Thermostat Save You Money?

(Reuters) - Two and half years ago, Steve Stewart erected a 100-foot windmill at his Barstow, California home. Stewart is no eco-crusader, but he does know a good deal when he hears it.

Although the windmill cost $53,000, Stewart paid only $32,000 thanks to state tax incentives. His electric bill has zeroed out from $2,000 annually before, and most months he can even sell back surplus power to his local utility, Southern California Edison, netting as much as $500 per year.

"For me, it was merely a financial calculation," says Stewart, who estimates it will take about seven years to fully pay off his investment. "I wasn't out to save the planet, just to save myself some money."

Homeowners across the country are doing similar math. Soaring energy costs, generous government and utility incentives plus the falling price of technology are leading more Americans to replace their conventional power or heating sources with renewable ones.

An unseasonably warm winter has brought no relief to the price of home heating oil which has hit a national average of $4 per gallon in February, topping gasoline prices in some states. That's nearly 50 cents more than a year ago.

"Typically what motivates homeowners to remodel is comfort and quality of life," says Brad Queen, energy division director at the Colorado-based Center for Resource Conservation. "But it is the economics, the financials, that can ultimately make the case."

The U.S. market for solar energy systems grew by 140 percent in 2011 as costs dropped by two-fifths, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Today, there are 1.5 million U.S. households using solar water heating, and enough solar energy available to power 750,000 homes. Natural gas prices are at a 10-year low, and in 2010 more than half of all new single-family homes were built to use natural gas.

Still, retrofitting an existing home for better efficiency can cost from $6,000 to more than $100,000 depending on the ambitiousness of the plans. But what, and when, will energy renovations ultimately pay back? What are the financing options available? Will your home's resale value go up? These are just some of the calculations to consider before embarking on your next home-improvement project.

ENERGY AUDIT IS FIRST STEP

For most property holders, installing solar panels or a wood-pellet stove are not going to bring the highest return on their investment. An energy audit is the best way to understand what will.

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Green energy puts green in homeowner wallets

Concepcion Carrier Airconditioning Corp. (CCAC) has generated P5 billion in sales in 2011 with a dominant domestic market share of 45 percent.

This was reported by CCAC CEO Raul Joseph Concepcion as the company celebrates its 50-year milestone as the number one cooling solutions provider in the country.

Pioneering cooling solutions manufacturer Carrier has been declared the Philippines’ best-selling aircon brand of 2010 at the 7th annual GfK No. 1 Awards, a leading market research company GfK aims to recognize the top performing brands in several consumer product categories across Asia. Carrier emerged as the country’s top air conditioner brand based on GfK’s retail audit data as well as the brand’s unit sales in the category.

The win is Carrier’s 6th award from GfK Philippines, having swept all the years that the GfK No. 1 Awards featured an air conditioner category. A renowned brand worldwide, Carrier is exclusively distributed locally by Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Company, the premier name in cooling solutions in the country.

Formed in January 1998, CCAC brings together two leaders in the air conditioning industry: Carrier Corporation of the United States and Concepcion Industries, Inc. of the Philippines.

In just a few years, CCAC expanded from manufacturing window room air conditioners to becoming the market leader in virtually all categories of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment and services in the country.

CCAC brings to the Philippine market Carrier Corporation's long tradition of innovation and product excellence. It has the Philippines' largest air conditioning facility that makes an wide range of products of outstanding quality, and is recognized by customers abroad, who source from it products proudly Philippine-made.

Carrier products are designed in engineering centers and manufacturing facilities located worldwide. Spread across six continents, Carrier's global operations make it the largest manufacturer of air conditioning, heating, ventilation and refrigeration products. It is supported by a vast network of distributors, dealers, retailers, and technicians who sell, install and service Carrier products in over 170 countries.(BCM)

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Concepcion Carrier Posts P5-B Sales

If someone could tell you how to build a home with practically no more money than a conventional heating and cooling system, and you'd have no heating or cooling bills, would you do it? If they could then tell you how to eliminate your electric bills also and end up with a "net zero" home, would you do it?

STAFF PHOTO BY JOE SARNO

Located on Route 23 in Pequannock, Solar & More has definite ideas on how to curb your energy costs.

One would hope so, because this is all possible now, and you really don't have any out of pocket costs because it's part of the cost of the house.

A geothermal heating and cooling system works off the constant 54 degree temperature of the earth.

With heat pumps that take heat out of the house in the summer and bring it into the house in the winter, you have an air distribution system that is the most comfortable of any heating or cooling system there is. If dry heat bothers you with asthma, bronchitis or allergies, geothermal will reduce those symptoms and you'll be much more comfortable.

So here's how it can work. Contracting for a geothermal system with Solar & More will give you the opportunity to save 30% on your system and your home's insulation and ductwork. How do we do this? Solar & More will design and include the home's air handling and ductwork into the geothermal system. We then provide the spray-in foam insulation as part of the geothermal system also. This does two things; it increases the insulation from the home's "envelope" (the insulated living area of the house) and reduces the size of the geothermal system because of this extra insulation. Spray in insulation is much more efficient than standard mat insulations provided with most homes.

What's all this mean? Basically, you get a geothermal system for the same amount as a traditional heating and cooling system. And, you get a much tighter home with fewer drafts and the most comfortable heat and cooling system you can buy!

So now you've finished building the house and you're in. What happens next?

You've reduced your heating and cooling bills by up to 70%! You also cover about 70% of your domestic hot water bills with this geothermal system as we install a "desuperheater" that transfers heat from the heat pumps to a hot water heater. What could be better!

Tell your architect to be sure he considers a geothermal system. If he doesn't, we've got an architect who will design this for you and it won't cost you any more than a traditional design. If he's really good, he'll also give you a south facing roof for some solar panels. This could eliminate the remaining portion of your electric bill to give you that "net zero" home…no electric, no heating and no cooling costs…for the life of your home. That's energy efficiency!

Tom Ferraro owns Solar & More, a retail showroom in Pompton Plains, NJ where you can go to see and learn about solar, geothermal and other renewable energy systems. For more information, see their website at http://www.solarnmorestore.com, or call 800-782-0241.

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Geothermal can save you big bucks

Duke asks to modify energy-saving incentives

Duke Energy this week asked for state approval to launch or tweak three energy-saving programs for residential customers.

The changes, which need approval by the N.C. Utilities Commission, include:

An appliance-recycling plan would offer customers $30 and free pick-up if they give up old, inefficient refrigerators or freezers.

Additions to Duke's Smart $aver program would offer customers incentives to make their homes more energy-efficient. The program would offer up to $400 to homeowners who install attic insulation, $200 for duct sealing, $350 for duct insulation, $60 for a central air-conditioner tuneup and $125 for a heat pump tuneup.

The program already offers $200 incentives to customers who install higher-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

Under a new free program, Duke would proactively seek out customers in low-income neighborhoods. Based on energy-saving needs, it would offer a menu of conservation measures such as weather-stripping and compact fluorescent bulbs.

Costs of the programs would be paid for by an existing energy-efficiency rider, which adds $2.35 a month to typical residential bills. Bruce Henderson

Pisgah Community Bank gets orders from FDIC

The FDIC has ordered Asheville-based Pisgah Community Bank to raise capital or find a buyer as its capital levels "continue to deteriorate," according to a directive released Friday.

The bank, classified as "significantly undercapitalized," has been under an agreement with the FDIC since August 2010, but the capital plans the bank's management team has submitted have not been adequate, the FDIC said.

In the fourth quarter, the bank lost $3 million and its Tier 1 capital ratio remained below 3 percent, according to data from the FDIC.

The bank is now ordered to either find a buyer, sell new common stock, sell preferred stock, or receive direct contributions from the bank's directors or shareholders. Andrew Dunn

Political funds disclosure has support on SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission should require corporations to disclose their political spending so that shareholders can see how their money is being used, one of the agency's five commissioners said Friday.

Commissioner Luis Aguilar, a Democrat, urged the agency to address the fallout from the 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, lifting restrictions on corporate expenditures.

Without mandatory disclosures, "it is impossible to have any corporate accountability or oversight," Aguilar said in a speech prepared for a conference in Washington.

Aguilar has a history of criticizing what he sees as the agency's shortcomings. Addressing the same conference last year, he said he wished for a world in which SEC enforcement actions had obvious deterrent value. Washington Post

New data, adjusted data show trouble in home sales

Sales of new homes dipped in January, but the final quarter of 2011 was stronger than first estimated.

The government said Friday that new-home sales fell 0.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 321,000 homes.

The gains came after the government upwardly revised October, November and December's figures. December's annual sales pace of 324,000 was the highest in a year.

Even with more sales, only 304,000 new homes were sold in 2011 - the fewest on record dating back to 1963. AP

New pricing strategy adds to loss at J.C. Penney

J.C. Penney Co. reported a loss of $87 million in the fourth quarter in part because of costs related to its new pricing strategy that involves ditching sales for everyday low prices.

Under new CEO Ron Johnson, a former Apple Inc. executive, the retailer is overhauling just about every aspect of its business, including pricing.

Penney is eliminating hundreds of discounts a year in favor of a three-tier strategy: everyday prices that are about 40 percent less than what they were a year ago, monthlong sales on select items and clearance events during the first and third Friday of each month. AP

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Duke asks to modify energy-saving incentives

We recently saw the European Commission recognize 27 IBM Data Centers for energy efficiency. The commission, the executive body of the European Union, was going by the EU’s Code of Conduct for Data Centers, and we’re not 100 percent sure what requirements that entails, but we do know it’s A Good Thing.

In fact, as IBM officials said in a press statement, the honor represents “the largest portfolio of data centers from a single company to receive the recognition.”The idea is to reduce energy consumption “in a cost-effective manner without decreasing mission critical data center functions,” IBM officials said, using certain established best practices.

Great. What might those be?

Speaking broadly, IBM officials rattled off a list of general areas where one can find energy efficiencies in contact centers — energy-efficient hardware, free cooling, cold aisle containment and the like.

A bit more specifically, IBM officials said, one factor that weighed heavily in their winning the EU award is that many of their data centers support cloud computing. This isn’t only to save energy, of course, as the cloud is in high demand these days for its efficiencies, flexibility and profitability and other good common-sense business reasons.

Analytics are a huge part of IBM’s energy-saving success. The company uses Mobile Measurement Technology, an in-house product of IBM Research, using “thousands of sensors to record and analyze temperatures and air flow to detect hot and cold spots,” company officials explain, to get energy flow insight leading to the intelligence that lets IBM “efficiently cool data centers with a high measure of security and reliability and significant reduction in cost.”

The company believes in replacing older hardware equipment with more energy efficient servers, consolidating servers: fewer and more efficient servers = lower energy usage.

So that’s Big Blue’s overall approach. Solid, basic principles at work: Use the most energy-efficient servers you can find because they’ll save you money in the long run; consolidate your server needs; use analytics to find where you can cut down on costs within the data center itself; and take advantage of cloud computing where possible.

Bully for IBM. Does anybody else use a different approach?

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) issued a white paper titled “Best Practices Guide For Energy-Efficient Data Center Design” in March 2011. It addresses energy efficiency across the enterprise, breaking down its recommendations in seven areas.

Information Technology (IT) Systems

This is a good place to start because “IT equipment loads can account for over half of the entire facility’s energy use.” The white paper identifies rack servers as a major culprit, saying they account for “the largest portion of the IT energy load in a typical data center,” taking up lots of space, and drawing full power even when running at 20 percent use or lower, which according to the paper is, in fact, most of the time.

The FEMP recommends looking for servers with variable speed fans, as they can adjust to how much power is needed to actually cool the server. Throttle-down devices are helpful as well, reducing energy consumption on idle processors via “power management.” Use multi-core processor chips where possible, and consolidate your IT system redundancies — “consider one power supply per server rack,” instead of power supplies for each server.

Grouping equipment with similar heat load densities and temperature requirements means you can cool them more efficiently, the paper says, pointing to virtualization as another way to find efficiency.

Environmental Conditions

Yes, these matter. The FEMP cites the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and Network Equipment Building System, which has published recommendations for “environmental envelopes” for inlet air for IT equipment. Done correctly, it can help reduce overall energy consumption, and the recommendations are presented in the paper with cool charts and graphs we really can’t do justice to here.

But bear in mind that variable speed fans in servers are guided by internal server temperature, so if your data center’s using inlet air conditions higher than what’s recommended, well, the fans aren’t going to do the best job they can saving you money.

Air Management

Another important yet frequently overlooked area. Basically, what this refers to is the way you configure the center to get rid of as much air mixing between cool and hot as possible. You have lower operating costs if the hot air being expelled from the equipment isn’t recirculated to the machines again. The cooling air needs to be delivered to the servers as efficiently as possible.

No, it’s not a horribly sexy aspect of data center efficiency, but the money you save is.

The paper talks about cable congestion reducing total air flow, and allowing hot spots to develop. It recommends greater under-floor clearance, of at least two feet for raised-floor installations, and having a “cable management strategy” to minimize air flow obstructions, with possibly a cable mining program, involving the removal of abandoned or inoperable cables. Aisle separation’s a good idea too, with cool air aisles on one side of a row of servers and hot on the other. Those flexible plastic strips you see at supermarket refrigeration sections can really help here.

Cooling Systems

Probably one of the first things you thought of when you thought of data center energy efficiency, but as we hope you’ve seen by now, other considerations play a considerable part. The most common type of system here for smaller data centers would be a direct expansion (DX) system, CRAC units readily available off the shelf. Rooftop units are not pricey and work well, too.

Central air handler systems provide better performance, the paper notes, observing that they can “improve efficiency by taking advantage of surplus and redundant capacity to improve efficiency.”

Chilled water systems are another option, with a high-efficiency VFD-equipped chiller with condenser water reset recommended by the FEMP as “the most efficient cooling option for large facilities.”

There’s much more in the paper about other options for cooling systems.

Electrical Systems

Keep in mind both initial and future loads here, the FEMP white paper warns, adding that efficiencies can range widely from manufacturer to manufacturer. Use uninterruptible power supply systems for backup power, and for maximum efficiency determine exactly what equipment actually needs UPS and which doesn’t.

Demand response is voluntarily lowering energy usage during peak demand, and your utility will probably offer you some incentive to sign up for a program like that. Many companies simply switch to backup power during peak times and pocket the savings from the lower rates.

Using DC power distribution will save conversions, but it’s expensive to install since it’s still not widely-used. And consider savings you can find with lighting — think about what space really needs to be illuminated all day and what space doesn’t. Zone occupancy sensors can really help you reduce your lighting costs and overall energy costs.

Other Energy-Efficient Design Opportunities

The FEMP paper provides a few more things to think about:

On-Site Generation.  With a constant electrical demand this option can make sense. They’re an alternative to grid power. Some places let you sell self-generated power back to the grid, which lowers capital expenses. Co-Generation Plants. This is using a power station or similar technology to help produce electricity, and its waste heat can run a chiller to provide cooling. Standby Losses. Reduce these, and use waste heat from the data center to minimize losses by block heaters. Here’s one place solar panels might make sense. Waste Heat. This can be used to provide cooling — nifty irony there, no? Done correctly, the FEMP says, using absorption or adsorption chillers, your chilled water plant energy costs can be cut by at least 50 percent. Adsorption chillers require less maintenance than absorption models, but are new to the U.S. market.

Data Center Metrics and Benchmarking

You do this to track performance and see where you can find improvements. The paper provides links to various benchmarks.

Measuring Power Usage Effectiveness and Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency is a good place to begin benchmarking, not that they represent the entire, overall efficiency of your whole data center, as the paper says, but rather the “efficiency of the supporting equipment within a data center.” Which is still quite a lot.

Energy Reuse Effectiveness is another area for productive benchmarking, as is the Rack Cooling Index and Return Temperature Index, your Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning System Effectiveness and the Airflow Efficiency, not to mention the Cooling System Efficiency.

On-Site Monitoring and Continuous Performance Measurement is an important area to benchmark, and the paper provides resources to assist with this as well.

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Towards a More Energy-Efficient Data Center