Insight
Energy efficiency in the data room is decided by how the room is built
What it costs to cool a data room is set largely by how the room is built. This article compares the U-value of ModuSec® with the U-value of mineral wool, plasterboard and block, and what that difference means for the cooling plant and running costs.
Cooling is a control parameter, not a fixed cost
The cost of cooling the servers is often high. The energy used to keep temperature and operating environment stable is an important control parameter.
It is very important to use every available opportunity to reduce energy consumption, both because it is financially profitable and because it contributes positively to the company's climate accounts.
Future customers will to a far greater extent buy their data services from companies that can document measures to reduce their climate impact, and such measures will become important competitive tools.
Wall insulation drives the cooling load
Insulating the data room as well as possible is decisive in reducing the cost of cooling and climate control in the data hall or server room. How you design and build the server room or data hall is not a matter of indifference.
A 100 mm data room wall in ModuSec® insulates twice as well as a comparable wall in mineral wool. ModuSec® gives the lowest U-value available for 100 mm sandwich panels.
A low U-value saves energy and provides a stable environment for the cooling systems.
U-value: ModuSec® against traditional materials
The table compares the U-value (W/m²K) of ModuSec® with materials commonly used in the construction of server rooms and data halls. Lower is better.
- ModuSec® 100 mm panel: 0.18
- Site-built plasterboard wall with 100 mm mineral wool insulation: 0.35
- 100 mm mineral wool panel: 0.38
- Insulating block / block with insulated centre section: 0.5
- Solid block wall: 2.5
- Double insulating glass: 2.8
- Single insulating glass: 5.7
Fire rating and an extended comparison
The extended comparison also includes 250 mm insulated Leca block at a U-value of 0.27, and states the fire rating for three of the constructions: ModuSec® 100 mm panel F-90, site-built plasterboard wall with 100 mm mineral wool EI-60, and 100 mm mineral wool sandwich panel EI-60.
ModuSec® insulates more than twice as well as a comparable sandwich panel in mineral wool, and is the building material that gives the lowest U-value for 100 mm sandwich panels.
What a low U-value delivers in operation
ModuSec® can reduce the size of the cooling plant. That lowers operating costs and reduces the CO₂ footprint of the server room or data hall.
About ModuSec®
ModuSec® uses lightweight and very strong, steel-clad wall and roof panels with a core of «PyroFoam» that gives high thermal resistance. The panels lock together easily and quickly and provide a protective shell in the desired size.
The surface of the panels is pre-treated and requires no finishing such as painting or wallpapering. The new data room is built independently of the existing building structure and can easily be expanded or moved.
About this article
Nils H. Sopp, Senior Solution Advisor. Vestby, 08.11.2017.
Related
The wall construction is part of White Space – the data room itself, where servers, network equipment and storage systems are installed. Read more about how Remtech builds and protects White Space: /en/solutions/white-space
0.18 W/m²K. By comparison, a 100 mm mineral wool panel is 0.38 W/m²K and a site-built plasterboard wall with 100 mm mineral wool insulation is 0.35 W/m²K.
More than twice as well at the same thickness. A 100 mm data room wall in ModuSec® insulates twice as well as a comparable wall in mineral wool, and ModuSec® gives the lowest U-value available for 100 mm sandwich panels.
The cooling plant can be made smaller, operating costs fall and the CO₂ footprint is reduced. A low U-value saves energy and at the same time provides a stable environment for the cooling systems.
Steel-clad wall and roof panels with a core of «PyroFoam» that gives high thermal resistance. The panels are lightweight and very strong, lock together easily and quickly, and the surface is pre-treated so no painting or wallpapering is required.
Yes. The data room is built independently of the existing building structure and can easily be expanded or moved.