Australian Government
Data Centre Strategy 2010-2025
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power
July 2013
Contents
Contents
2
1. Introduction
3
Scope
3
Policy Framework
4
Related documents
4
2. Definition and Discussion
6
A Conceptual Model of a Data Centre
6
Observations about Power in Data Centres
8
3. Better practices
15
Organisation of the Better Practices
15
Implementing the Better Practices
16
Better Practices – Fundamentals
16
Better Practices – Power Systems
17
Better Practices – Power Consumption
18
4. Conclusion
Summary of Better Practices
22
22
1. Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to advise Australian Government agencies on ways to
improve data centre operations. Many government functions are critically
dependent upon information and communication technology (ICT) systems based in
data centres. Achieving and maintaining optimal data centre performance is
challenging. The ICT equipment, power, cooling and other systems dynamically
interact in many ways. By linking the data centre to the agency’s business outcomes
in an integrated approach, managers can better support business operations, control
costs, and manage risks.
Each better practice guide focuses on a different data centre attribute. Electricity1 is
one of the key resources for a data centre. Safe, reliable and efficient electricity use
is essential to data centre performance.
The aim is to assist Australian Government agencies to:

Assess data centre performance relating to power.

Improve practices relating to power leading to greater efficiency, reliability
and safety.

Meet legislative and policy requirements.
The consequences of unsafe, inefficient or unreliable power use in data centres are
significant. An unsafe data centre poses risks to people and surrounding buildings.
An inefficient data centre can waste over 70 per cent of the electricity it uses.
Unreliable data centres can disrupt the agency’s business operations.
This guide on power forms part of a set of better practice guides for data centres.
Scope
This guide applies to the data centre infrastructure supplying power to the ICT
equipment and the supporting systems. This includes switchboards, switchgear,
controlgear, transformers, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), backup power
generation, distribution boards, equipment racks and ICT equipment.
This guide considers the power used by the ICT equipment and cooling systems in a
data centre, but does not address in detail the better practices for ICT equipment
efficiency or cooling a data centre2.
1
Throughout this guide, the terms power, electricity and electrical power are equivalent, although power is preferred.
2
The Data Centre Optimisation Targets Guidance document addresses ICT equipment and cooling efficiency.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
3
Policy Framework
The guide has been developed within the context of the Australian public sector’s
data centre policy framework. This framework applies to agencies subject to the
Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act). The data centre
policy framework seeks financial, technical and environmental outcomes.
The Australian Government Data Centre Strategy 2010 – 2025 (data centre strategy)
describes actions that will avoid $1 billion in future data centre costs. Using power
in data centres more efficiently will contribute significantly to the $1 billion goal.
The Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010 – 2015 describes actions
that agencies are to take to improve environmental outcomes. The data centre
strategy and the ICT sustainability plan have the same targets and objectives for
data centres.
The Data Centre Optimisation Targets (DCOT) policy sets minimum efficiency
standards that data centres used by FMA agencies are to reach by June 2015. The
DCOT policy set the power efficiency target for data centres of a Power Usage
Effectiveness3 (PUE) below 1.94. The DCOT Guidance document describes methods
to improve efficiency, including virtualisation, consolidation, cooling, procurement
and server settings.
In February 2013, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System
(NABERS) for data centres was released. NABERS is an initiative led by the NSW
Government and supported by the Australian Government. In the Australian public
sector’s data centre policy framework, PUE was chosen as an interim metric until
NABERS for data centres was available. Agencies should anticipate that NABERS will
replace PUE as the preferred metric over time.
Related documents
Information about the data centre strategy, and DCOT targets and guidance can be
obtained from the Data Centre section (datacentres@finance.gov.au).
The data centre better practice guides also cover:
3

Cooling: the mechanical and electrical systems that provide conditioned air
at the optimum temperature, humidity and pressure.

Data Centre Infrastructure Management: the system that monitors and
reports the state of the data centre. Also known as the building management
system.

Fire protection: the detection and suppression systems that minimise the
effect of fire on people and the equipment in the data centre.

Security: the physical security arrangements for the data centre. This
includes access controls, surveillance and logging throughout the building,
as well as perimeter protection.
The PUE metric is a ratio of the power used by the ICT equipment and overheads divided by the power used by the
ICT equipment in a single data centre. The Green Grid developed the PUE metric and more information can be
found at the website www.thegreengrid.org.
4
A PUE of 1.9 means that for every watt powering the ICT equipment 0.9 watts is being used by overheads.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
4

Equipment racks: this guide brings together aspects of power, cooling,
cabling, monitoring, fire protection, security and structural design to achieve
optimum performance for the ICT equipment.

Structure: the physical building design provides for movement of people and
equipment through the site, floor loading capacity, reticulation of cable, air
and water. The design also complements the fire protection and security
better practices.

Environment: this guide examines data centre sustainability, including
packaging, electric waste, water use and green house gas generation.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
5
2. Definition and Discussion
A Conceptual Model of a Data Centre
A typical data centre consists of a number of different components. This complexity
can be reduced to a collection of subsystems. The key data centre subsystems and
power distribution networks are shown a conceptual model in Figure 1.
This conceptual model describes the key functions used in a wide range of data
centre designs, from computer rooms in converted office space to purpose-built,
standalone data centres. While a data centre applying better practices will have
these elements in their power subsystems, the physical connections and
arrangements are likely to be different.
The data centre industry has regional variations in the terms used to describe
common set of data centre concepts. This section describes the conceptual data
centre model, using terms in common use in Australia.
Main switchboard
Local
distribution
lines to the
building
UPS
DB
Equipment
racks
ICT
equipment
Backup
generator
Office area
Fire
protection
system
HVAC
system
Security
system
Data Centre
Infrastructure
Management
Figure 1: Key Subsystems in a Data Centre
Power enters the building site via the local distribution lines. Very high availability
data centres will have multiple lines from several suppliers and substations.
The main switchboard has several functions. The main switchboard connects to the
various power networks in the building, and the backup generators. Each of the key
subsystems usually is on its own power network. If the external power fails, static
transfer switches automatically switches over to use power from the backup
generator. The metering device that measures the total electricity consumption for
the building is located at the point of supply between the local distribution lines and
the main switchboard. The main switchboard has a residual current device, which
reduces the chance of electrocution, by shutting off power if a fault is detected.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
6
The backup generators are the source of power when the supply through the local
distribution lines fails. Diesel generators are most commonly used to provide
backup power, although other alternatives are becoming available.
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system cools and humidifies the
data centre. The HVAC system is the largest overhead in a data centre.
The uninterruptible power supply (UPS) ensures that there is continuity of power to
the ICT equipment, regardless of disruptions to the building power supply. The
length of time the UPS supplies power varies from a few seconds, long enough for
the backup generator to take over, up to a few minutes, to allow the ICT equipment
to shut down gracefully.
The distribution board (DB) is an electrical wiring junction that connects a single
power line from the UPS to multiple power lines to the equipment racks. The
distribution board converts three phase power into single phase power.
The equipment racks provide an enclosure for housing the ICT equipment. Inside the
equipment rack the power rails provide power outlets for the ICT equipment.
Modern equipment racks have a range of sensors for power and temperature.
The ICT equipment consists of the servers, disk drives, storage area networks, tape
drives, switches, routers and so on.
The model does not show the power factor correction equipment, which is used on a
case by case basis to improve the efficiency and quality of the power supply.
The office area is necessary for people who must work at the data centre location.
Data centres usually have several hazards for long term staff, including too much
noise, uncomfortable temperatures and very low light levels.
The fire protection system detects and suppresses fires or other abnormal hot spots.
The security system provides the physical security arrangements. It may have video
cameras, secure doors, or biometric access controls.
The Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) system provides command and
control functions to assist in managing a data centre. Older data centres may have a
building management system that provides more limited functions, and is a
predecessor to DCIM.
High Voltage, Low Voltage
Electrical power is distributed across Australia at very high voltages, typically
11,000 to 115,000 volts (V). The power must be converted to a lower voltage,
around 240V, to be usable by most ICT equipment. However, 415V is commonly
used by HVAC systems and larger ICT equipment such as mainframes.
A substation with transformers converts high voltage power delivered to a data
centre site to lower voltage, typically 415V. The local distribution lines take the
power from the substation to the main switchboard. The substation and
transformers are managed by the electricity provider, not the building owner.
Common examples of power distribution voltages are shown in Figure 2.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
7
Local
Distribution
Lines
11 kVA
11 kVA
415 V
Main
switch
board
Backup
Generator
UPS
DB
415 V 3 phase
Equipment
racks
ICT
equipment
240 V single phase
415 V 3 phase
240 V single phase
240 V single phase
Figure 2: Voltage Conversion Examples
Observations about Power in Data Centres
Fit for Purpose - Design and Operations
The design of a data centre sets the limits of the operational achievements.
Excellence in data centre operations will not overcome limits in the design.
Conversely, poor operations performance will degrade any design, causing agencies
to get less value for money than expected.
The core design criteria for power in a data centre are safety, reliability, efficiency,
flexibility and scalability. The core responsibilities for data centre operations are
safety, reliability and efficiency.
An agency will periodically evaluate the fitness for purpose of the data centre and
the ICT equipment for the agency’s outcomes. Broadly, either the data centre will
(or with justifiable investment) meet business expectations, or the data centre
cannot meet expectations and an alternative must be found.
Many older data centres have been neglected, and so are less reliable and efficient.
Minor capital improvements to design or operational capability are likely to be value
for money. Examples are ‘mining’ unused cables and selling them for scrap,
removing idle ICT equipment providing little business value, or using power
monitoring to find and replace equipment with high power costs.
Major data centre upgrades are generally very expensive and disruptive to business
operations. In most cases, moving to a more modern data centre will be a better
option than refurbishing an existing data centre. Examples of major upgrades are
installing a backup generator, doubling the power supplied to the data centre or
installing redundant power supply to equipment racks with essential ICT systems.
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8
Safety
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 imposes mandatory obligations and roles on
all people working in a data centre. Power in a data centre poses risks including
electrocution, fire and explosion. These hazards can cause injury or death. The legal
obligations include:

That all incidents are recorded, assessed and treated.

The safety management plan is maintained.

People to know how to behave safely in and around the data centre.
In addition to the legal obligations, agencies should understand that a likely
consequence of a serious safety incident is a significant disruption to normal agency
operations. The process of investigating, repairing and confirming that the data
centre is safe may prevent business as usual operations for days or weeks. Agency
business continuity planning should include the partial or total loss of the data
centre for safety reasons.
Several better practices provide risk controls that could improve safety and agencies
should review these for applicability. These controls include:

Ensuring that Australian Standards and applicable building regulations are
satisfied.

Employing suitably licensed and accredited people to work on power
systems.

Verifying that the capacity of the power system is not exceeded by ICT
equipment changes.

Routine inspection of the power and temperature throughout the power
system, including thermal images of switchboard, UPS and PDUs.

Analysing the monitoring logs for trends and accounting for all variations.
This advice in the better practice guide does not affect the obligations of staff or
agencies to maintain a safe workplace.
Power Uses in Data Centres
The power consumed in a data centre should be considered as having either
productive or overhead (unproductive) uses. The productive power is used by the
data centre ICT equipment. The overhead power is used by the supporting systems,
which consume power to maintain the ICT equipment.
Achieving and sustaining better data centre power practices requires regular
monitoring, analysis and reporting of both productive and overhead power. Ideally
automated, monitoring records the rate of consumption, fluctuations, failures, and
the efficiency of all power subsystems. This baseline will allow managers to improve
efficiency and reliability.
Electricity Billing
The other measurement device available in all data centres is the usage meter,
which is used to calculate the electricity bill. This is positioned on the local
distribution line before the main switchboard. The usage meter records two, equally
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
9
correct perspectives of data centre power, which are demand and consumption. The
demand, measured in kilovolt amperes (kVA), is the amount of power that the data
centre requires to be delivered by the generators and transmission network. The
consumption, measured in kilowatt hours (kWh), is the amount of power used by the
equipment inside the data centre.
The typical data centre electricity bill is about 80 percent consumption, 20 per cent
demand and a small fee for the regulatory agencies to run the energy markets. The
most effective way of reducing the bill is to reduce consumption, which is the power
used by the ICT equipment and overheads systems.
Measuring Power Use
When planning the data collection, thought should be given to how much data will
be collected and how often it will be collected. Setting the time interval for data
collection measurements is a matter of judgment. A one minute interval is often
used for systems that are essential to maintaining reliability, such as the UPS, and
five or ten minutes for other systems. Small data centres may only generate
kilobytes of data, easily analysed by a standard spreadsheet tool. Very large data
centres can generate gigabytes of data, requiring a specialised software package.
A baseline should be maintained of the power consumed by each device in the data
centre. Analysis of the baseline can provide significant insights into the state of the
data centre. High and low power consumption thresholds should be identified for all
equipment, in particular the HVAC and ICT equipment. Examples of using this
analysis are:

ICT servers that remain under the low usage threshold will have low or zero
utilisation. These are candidates for being reallocated or removed.

Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units in close proximity that
exceed the high usage threshold may have conflicting settings, resulting in
one CRAC unit working to reach a particular temperature or humidity, and
the other CRAC unit working to reach a different state. The correct settings
CRAC units in this circumstance will save power and reduce costs.
Metric – PUE or NABERS
The PUE metric5 is widely used in the data centre industry.
Good
Better
Best6
>1.9
>1.7
>1.5
The advantage of PUE as a metric is that it provides a simple, meaningful metric of
power efficiency that addresses productive and overhead uses of power. Agencies
should note that in October 2012 The Green Grid clarified how PUE is to be
measured and reported. This may require changes in existing reports.
5
http://www.thegreengrid.org/en/Global/Content/white-papers/WP49-PUEAComprehensiveExaminationoftheMetric
6
The values are taken from the Uptime Institute survey.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
10
NABERS for data centres measures greenhouse gas emissions across a period of
time. NABERS collects information on the power used by the data centre systems,
and the utilisation of the ICT equipment in the data centre including the servers,
storage and networks. NABERS has a star rating: 3 stars Average, 4 stars Good, 5
stars Excellent and 6 stars Market Leading.
Agencies should pick only one metric when beginning to monitor and improve data
centre efficiency. There is no equivalence between the two metrics. The data centre
strategy and DCOT used PUE as it was available and recognised, with the
expectation of switching NABERS once it became available. As an Australian
standard, NABERS for data centres is better aligned with the local data centre
industry.
ICT Efficiency
Reducing the power needed by the ICT equipment (the productive use) is often the
most effective way to maximise power efficiency. Reducing the ICT equipment’s
power load means smaller overhead power is needed, as for example, less heat is
generated so less cooling is needed.
Actions that reduce the power needed by ICT equipment include:

Virtualisation – moving workloads from dedicated ICT equipment (including
servers, storage and networks) to shared ICT equipment can reduce the
amount of power required by 10% to 40%.

Decommissioning – disused ICT equipment can be left powered on rather
than decommissioned and removed.

Modernising – the latest models of ICT hardware are using much less power
for equivalent performance. Gartner advises that server power requirements
have dropped by two thirds over the past two generations.

Consolidation – Physical and logical consolidation projects can rationalise
the data centre ICT equipment.
Cooling Efficiency
The cooling systems are usually the major source of overhead power consumption,
and so there is usually value in making cooling more efficient. There is a wide range
of data centre cooling technology, which provides agencies with great flexibility
about investing in an optimum solution.
Common techniques to minimise power use include:

Free air cooling brings the cooler air outside the data centre into the data
centre through dust and particle filters. In most Australian cities free air
cooling can be used over 50 per cent of the time, and in Canberra over 80 per
cent of the time.

Hot or cold aisle containment is a technique that aligns all the ICT equipment
in the racks so that all of the cold air arrives on side of the rack and leaves on
the other side of the rack. This means that the chilled air produced by the
cooling system is delivered to the ICT equipment without mixing with the
warmer exhaust air.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
11

Raising the data centre temperature exploits the capability of modern ICT
equipment to operate reliably at higher temperatures. Data centres can now
operate at between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius, rather than the 18 to 21
degrees Celsius. Operating at higher temperatures means much less power is
needed for cooling, and free air cooling becomes even more effective. The
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) publish guidance on maintaining optimum air temperatures in
data centres.
Agencies should also evaluate the environmental impact of cooling solutions. The
environmental impact of cooling systems is typically excessive water use, however
some cooling systems use hazardous chemicals.
The investment case for cooling systems is quite different to ICT equipment. The
asset life is usually 7 to 15 years. During the life of the cooling systems, the ICT
equipment can be expected to change between two and five times. The amount of
cooling required will vary significantly as the ICT equipment changes. This
variability means that agencies should seek cooling solutions that can adjust as the
demand for cooling rises and falls.
Losses in Power Systems and Cables
Converting power from high voltage into usable voltages and then distributing this
power throughout the data centre results in inefficiencies, or losses. Losses occur in
the power equipment, such as the transformer, distribution board, and UPS, and in
the wiring (copper loss) that distributes the power throughout the data centre.
The power factor is a measure of how efficiently power is distributed through the
data centre. Efficient data centres have a power factor between 0.90 and 0.99, while
inefficient data centres have a power factor below 0.80. Minimising power losses
generally requires capital investment in new subsystems or auxiliary conditioning
equipment.
Power can be distributed efficiently over long distances as 3 phase power. The
common alternative is to distribute the power as single phase power. In nearly all
circumstances, single phase power will have higher losses than 3 phase power.
However, these losses are proportional to the length and cross section of the copper
cable. The difference between single and 3 phase power is negligible for distances of
less than 100 metres. Generally, purpose built commercial data centres will use
3 phase power to reach the equipment racks. The 3 phase power is then converted
to single phase power to be distributed to the racks.
If 3 phase power is used to distribute power throughout the data centre, then the
When the phases are balanced, three phase power is distributed with very small
losses throughout the data centre. Balancing 3 phase power circuits requires
planning and monitoring, particularly to ensure that the UPS has capacity for total
load and each circuit. Ensuring that the 3 phase power circuits are balanced should
be a routine maintenance task. .
Continuity of Power and Reliability
The reliability of the power supplied by the data centre to the ICT equipment is a
major factor in the overall reliability of the ICT system. It is common to mitigate the
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
12
effects of failures by duplicating key components. This imposes higher capital costs,
and generally the power systems are less efficient.
Typically, the business continuity planning process produces an analysis of business
goals that can be mapped simply to reliability targets for the data centre.
In general terms, requirements for power continuity will fall into one of three
categories:



Essential that there are no outages. The ICT systems should be operational at all
times.
Important that there are no unplanned outages. The ICT systems are useful to
normal operations. These systems can be turned off with prior planning.
Of little or no importance. The ICT systems can be allowed to turn off in the
event of a loss of power. These systems are not essential to normal operations,
or there are other controls in place, such as an alternate system that will take
over in another location.
Organisations that maintain high efficiency metrics and high reliability for their data
centres are increasingly relying on virtualisation and cloud technology. In this
model, the data centre is highly reliable, the ICT hardware is based on identical,
inexpensive components that are not redundant, and the virtualised operating
environment protects the applications and business processes against individual
hardware component failures. This also works to mitigate the effect of partial
failures in the power supply in the data centre.
Trade-off between Efficiency and Reliability
There is a trade-off between efficiency and reliability of power distribution. The
various components (transformers, UPS, PDUs) operate most efficiently at high
utilisation rates, typically above 90%. However, highly reliable power distribution
designs typically provide two paths to the ICT equipment. In normal operations,
each path carries less than half the power to the ICT equipment. If a failure occurs in
one path, then the other path is capable of carrying the full power load to the
equipment.
This means that in normal operations the components are operating at less than
50% capacity. Most power systems are less efficient in this range. Newer equipment
typically loses 2% to 4%, while older equipment can lose as much as 50%.
Another advantage of highly reliable power distribution designs is that the amount
of power sent from a UPS to group of racks can be adjusted while the power supply
to other racks continues unaffected. This allows ICT equipment to be replaced in
some racks without disrupting other ICT equipment. In older power distribution
designs, all of the racks connected to the UPS would have to be powered down.
Inspection and Maintenance
Every component in a power system is subject to wear and tear. Regular inspection
and maintenance is essential.
Inspections can be aided by analysing the data collected for efficiency reporting.
Variations, especially power losses, usually indicate a potential failure. A thermal
imaging camera can detect hot spots, which are also signs of an incipient failure.
Early detection and remediation is less disruptive and costly.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
13
Maintenance work is essential. All components, including cables, should be
maintained according to the manufacturer’s schedules. There is an increased risk to
business operations when that the maintenance work is carried out. This business
risk should be assessed and controlled by business, ICT and data centre staff.
Some data centres are designed so that maintenance work requires the ICT
equipment to be shut down while the work is being done. Provided this shut down
is planned and agreed with the business, and the length of the shutdown is within
the reliability target, the better practice is being followed.
Other data centre design allow for maintenance work to be carried out while the ICT
equipment continues normal operation. The maintenance work still elevates the
level of risk, as the level of protection provided by the data centre design has been
lowered. It remains better practice to review this risk with the business prior to the
maintenance work.
Conclusion
Keeping a data centre performing optimally is challenging, due to the multiple
interacting systems. It is essential that power use is monitored, and that there are
clear expectations of the reliability of the power supply in a data centre.
Agencies must decide how much to invest in their data centres to obtain value for
money and to support achieving the agency outcomes. The better practices will
assist agencies to reach these objectives. The DCOT policy describes the minimum
performance measures for APS data centres and ICT equipment.
If an agency decides that the data centre performance is inadequate, the first point
to review is the data centre operations. If the operations are satisfactory (that is,
delivering the full capability of the design), then the data centre design must change.
Generally, changing the data centre design means moving to a different data centre.
As part of the data centre strategy two whole of government panels have been
established. The Data Centre Migration Services panel allows agencies to obtain any
mix of data centre project services, from design services to establish requirements
and assess existing data centres, through commissioning and moving to another
data centre, to cleaning and decommissioning the old data centre. The Data Centre
Facility panel provides access to quality commercial data centre facilities.
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
14
3. Better practices
Data centres are very diverse in size and operational purposes. The guide focuses on
key principles and processes, enabling agencies to gauge the operational practices in
a data centre. Applying the better practices will require pragmatic judgements by
agencies.
Organisation of the Better Practices
The better practices have been grouped into related topics:

Fundamental: the most important practices are safety, targets and
monitoring. If these practices are not being followed, the other practices will
deliver limited benefits or unnecessary costs.

Power System: practices relating to the subsystems that transform,
condition, protect and distribute power throughout the data centre. Also
includes continuity of supply of power to the ICT equipment, electricity
billing and environmental considerations.

Power Consumption: practices relating to the power used by other data
centre subsystems, in particular the ICT equipment and HVAC.
Main switchboard
Local
distribution
lines to the
building
UPS
DB
Equipment
racks
ICT
equipment
Backup
generator
HVAC
Power System
Power Consumption
Figure 3: Separation of the Better Practices for Power Systems and Power
Consumption
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
15
Implementing the Better Practices
The successful application of the better practices will require planning, analysis and
integration with existing capabilities. Agencies should expect to:

Plan a phased implementation.

Analyse how each better practice can be applied to their data centre.

Create a standard operating procedure and supporting training material.

Integrate the standard operating procedures into the existing ICT and data
centre operations.

Extend existing processes, such as capacity management, configuration
control and availability monitoring, to include the power better practices.

Monitor the first uses of the procedures, and adjust the procedures and
training as needed.
Better Practices – Fundamentals
Business Alignment – Metrics and Reporting
The data centre performance must be linked to the agency’s goals by clear metrics.
Reliability and efficiency are the two key metrics of data centre power. The targets
must be endorsed by the agency’s senior responsible officer.
The reliability target should be based on the agency’s business continuity and
disaster recovery planning. The reliability metric is commonly expressed in terms of
continuity of the power supply to ICT systems. For example, critical systems must
always have power, and useful systems must shut down gracefully and be able to be
restarted within 2 hours of power being restored.
The efficiency target can be measured and reported in one of two ways, Power
Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and NABERS for data centres. The better practice
standard for existing data centres is either a PUE less than 1.77, or a NABERS rating
of 4 Stars8 or better.
Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting
Improving and sustaining the data centre performance requires regular monitoring
and reporting. The monitoring system should record the state of all data centre
power subsystems, and the power consumed by the ICT equipment and overhead
systems.
7
The Uptime Institute’s 2012 Data Centre Survey reports the average PUE as between 1.8 and 1.89. Conducted in
March and April 2012, over 1,100 organisations responded from around the world. “The 21st Century Data Center:
An overview”, ZDNet, http://www.zdnet.com/the-21st-century-data-center-an-overview-7000012996/ (confirmed 16
April 2013).
8
NABERS website – 4 stars is a rating of ‘Good Performance’.
http://www.nabers.gov.au/public/WebPages/ContentStandard.aspx?module=10&template=3&include=6starrating.h
tm&side=factsheets.htm
Better Practice Guide: Data Centre Power |
16
Agencies should set up an automated monitoring and data collection process as
early as possible. Reporting should begin once the monitoring is in place and
collecting data.
The following conditions should be reported:

Voltage: Transients, Interruptions, Sag / Undervoltage, Swell / Overvoltage,
Waveform distortion, Voltage fluctuations, Frequency variations.

Current: Over-current, Under-current, Idle equipment.
Unexplained variations to the baseline are usually either failing components or
unplanned configuration changes. Early detection of, and response to these
variations assists in maintaining reliability and containing costs.
Electricity Billing
Information from the power bill should be combined with other reporting to report
the consumption patterns of all equipment in the data centre, including the power
cost for each ICT system. The analysis of the billing information, power consumption
and demand should be available to all teams involved in the data centre.
When reducing the power bill, data centre and ICT managers should focus on
reducing the consumption, as this has proven the most effective.
Better Practices – Power Systems
This set of better practices focus on the subsystems that distribute the power
through the data centre.
Just enough power
Using just enough power throughout a data centre can markedly improve efficiency.
Any excess power usually becomes excess heat, which uses yet more power to
remove it.
Efficient data centres have a power factor between 0.95 and 0.99. Better practice is
to monitor the power factor, and take value for money decisions to raise the power
factor.
If 3 phase power is used to distribute power then the circuits should be balanced.
Confirming this and taking corrective action should be a routine operation.
The optimum level of power for the power supply units (PSU) in the ICT equipment
will be determined. It is likely to be 230V for servers. If practical, the power supply
will be adjusted to reduce the excess power and so remove excess heat.
Inspection
Normal fluctuations in power cause expansion and contraction, particularly at
connections in switchboards, PDUs and equipment racks. Over time this can lead to
components failing, disrupting the power supply.
The better practice is to conduct regular inspections using a thermal imaging
camera.
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Maintenance
Maintenance is essential to keep the data centre operating. The data centre
equipment must be maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
However, maintenance activities increase risks to business operations during the
time the maintenance is being done. The increased risk to business during
maintenance activity should be assessed and controlled by business, ICT and data
centre staff.
Efficiency and Economy Modes
Modern data centre equipment offers flexible operating modes that reduce power
consumption. For example, HVAC systems have economisers that draw in cooler
outside air, variable speed fans and more controlled responses to changes in
conditions. The better practice is to ensure that the economy modes are being used
to deliver optimum efficiency without compromising reliability.
Power failure mitigation and continuity provisioning
The better practice for power failure mitigation and continuity provisioning is that
the agency’s declared business needs determine the level of protection for each ICT
system. This then determines the investment in protecting each ICT system against
power failure.
The procedures and systems to ensure continuity of power should be practiced
regularly.
Sustainable Water Use
Agencies optimising sustainability should estimate, report and optimise water use9
of the data centre. This includes on-site and off-site water use. Major on-site uses of
water are cooling and humidifying. The key off-site use of water is electricity
generation. 10
Better Practices – Power Consumption
This set of better practices focus on the subsystems that are the major consumers of
power.
Data Halls
A data hall is a room with dedicated PDUs and CRAC units within a data centre. Data
halls should be in one of three states:
9

Full: should be operating at peak efficiency.

Changing: all ICT moves, adds and changes should be in this data hall.
The Green Grid, “WP#35-Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE™): A Green Grid Data Center Sustainability Metric”,
http://www.thegreengrid.org/en/Global/Content/white-papers/WUE
10
http://www.ret.gov.au/energy/Documents/sustainbility-and-climatechange/Water%20and%20the%20Electricity%20Generation%20Industry%20Report.pdf
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
Empty. Should be powered off, and may not have power or cooling systems
installed.
The air temperature should be raised, consistent with ASHRAE recommendations
and ICT equipment tolerances.
Data centre staff must plan the power capacity provided to racks and areas of the
data centre floor. As equipment is installed and removed, it is necessary to consider
the impact on the power demand and make suitable adjustments.
Better practice also requires power cables are fit for purpose, catalogued and
arranged in conduits or trays. The power cables must not obstruct airflow, or create
hazards for staff. There must be no domestic power boards or extension cords in the
data hall.
Equipment Racks
The power load to be carried by the circuits, and the circuit breakers, will be
confirmed during the installation planning step for new ICT equipment.
If intelligent power rails are installed, then power is turned on to each outlet only
once change control is approved.
The racks and equipment are earthed according to the electrical design for the data
centre.
ICT Equipment
The DCOT targets are to be met by June 2015.
Facilities and ICT staff should identify and agree what to do with:

Idle ICT equipment that may be able to be powered off.

Obsolete and powered down equipment that may be able to be removed
from the data centre.
Power costs should be attributed to ICT equipment.
Power losses should be attributed to ICT equipment.
When power is being restored to the data centre following a partial or complete
power down, the ICT equipment is restarted in stages. This is to protect the power
systems and shorten the ICT system restoration. The start up phase of most ICT
equipment draws more power than normal operations. This peak demand may
cause circuit breakers to trip unnecessarily, resulting in extended outages.
Modern ICT systems in data centres are complex, preferring activation in particular
sequences. Restarting the ICT equipment out of sequence can cause avoidable
problems. Power should be restored to the ICT equipment in a staged manner,
allowing enough time for software to load and configure itself, and become available
for other systems.
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Fundamentals
The safety plan has the goal of no injuries due to data centre power. The
⊠ procedures and training for staff and visitors support this goal.
The safety incident log is actively used to identify, develop and apply
⊠ preventive actions to improve the effectiveness of the safety program.
The reliability targets and associated metrics are defined, based on the
⊠ agency’s business continuity plan or equivalent. The reliability targets and
⊠
⊠
metrics are signed off by the senior responsible officer.
The efficiency targets and associated metrics are defined, based on the
agency’s business requirements. The efficiency targets and metrics are
signed off by the senior responsible officer. The measure is either PUE < 1.7
or NABERS rating of 4 stars or better.
Power systems are being automatically monitored. Regular reports on safety,
reliability and efficiency are provided to senior responsible officer, ICT and
facility managers.
Power Systems
Data centre equipment is maintained according manufacturers’ schedules.
⊠ Regular inspections conducted using thermal imaging camera of all
switchboards, switchgear and controlgear.
⊠
⊠
⊠
Efficiency and economy modes have been evaluated and used appropriately.
Three phase power circuits have balanced phases.
Power factor is as high as value for money will permit.
Power cables are in marked single purpose trays or conduits, are not
⊠ hazards, and do not block airflow.
Domestic grade electrical equipment, including double adapters, extension
⊠ cords and power strips, are not used in the equipment racks, data halls or
⊠
data centre. Domestic grade equipment may be used in the office area only.
The contingency procedures established to meet the reliability targets and
manage risks are practiced regularly.
Risk management plan is current, jointly developed and agreed with
business owners.
Operations check the contingency plan and systems monthly for readiness
⊠ and completeness.
⊠
Report data centre water use regularly.
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Power Consumption
⊠
DCOT virtualisation targets are met by June 2015.
Air temperature in data hall has been raised, to reduce power use while
⊠ maintaining ICT equipment reliability and warranties.
ICT equipment is powered down when not idle. ICT equipment is removed
⊠ from the data centre when not required.
Power cables in equipment racks do not impede airflow and cannot be
⊠ caught in doors.
⊠
⊠
The voltage to PSUs has been tuned to reduce heat.
Power loss (inefficiency) in the ICT equipment is tracked and reported.
Power costs are reported monthly, and attributed to significant ICT systems
⊠ and overhead systems.
⊠
Equipment racks are earthed, according to the electrical and earthing design.
Procedures and features to maintain continuity of power to ICT systems are
⊠ tested regularly.
ICT equipment installation considers the impact of the increased power
⊠ demand at the equipment rack, circuit breakers, distribution boards and UPS.
If intelligent power rails are installed in the equipment racks, these are being
⊠ used to control equipment installation (turn off all outlets except for
authorised equipment) and to control surges due to large scale power
restarts.
⊠
Restoration of power following a power down is staged.
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4. Conclusion
Agencies that use better practices in their data centres can expect lower costs, better
reliability, and improved safety than otherwise. Implementing the better practices
will give managers more information about data centre power, enabling better
decisions. Overall, the data centre will become more efficient, and better aligned to
the agency’s strategic objectives.
Agencies will also find it simpler and easier to report against the mandatory
objectives of the data centre strategy. The key metric is avoided costs, that is, the
costs that agencies did not incur as a result of improvements in their data centres.
Capturing avoided costs is most effective when done by an agency in the context of a
completed project that has validated the original business case.
Summary of Better Practices
Data centre operations are aligned to business expectations. A reliability target,
based on the business continuity plan, has been set, and an efficiency target, either
PUE < 1.7 or NABERS 4 star, has been set.
The work health safety plans with respect to risks from data centre power have a
goal of zero injuries.
The agency is routinely:






Tracking and reporting power use in the data centre.
Analysing power efficiency of installed components.
Reviewing the power bills for evidence that planned actions are reducing
electricity use and power costs.
Responding to losses in power efficiency, by finding root causes and taking
corrective action.
Examining the power path and subsystems for signs of heating and other early
warnings of failure.
Investing to improve or maintain data centre operations performance to reach
or maintain the planned targets.
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