Run the air conditioner when the building is empty

Most IT administrators don’t pay much attention to how cooling works overnight. They have the system set to the same temperature as it was during the day, or maybe even a little higher in an effort to reduce the power load. However, studies have shown that running the server room air conditioner at night means less load on the cooling system during the day.

The idea is to pre-cool the server room, dropping the temperature well below the normal setting during the day. As the day heats up and workers start making demands on the servers, the temperature rises but the air conditioning system doesn’t have to work right away. The net result is that there is less stress on the server room’s air conditioning during the hottest part of the day.

Overnight cooling saves money

Many city utility systems, especially in hot climates, charge substantially more for electrical power used during the day. This is an effort to equalize the load by encouraging businesses to reduce electricity use during peak hours, particularly cooling.

By running the air conditioning in the server room at night, your company takes advantage of the cheapest nightly electric rates. When you cool the server room below the normal thermostat setting, you’re “banking” that cheap energy in the form of cooler air. Since the building starts the day cooler, less energy is needed to cool during costly peak hours.

Some constructions, such as solid brick, retain a lot of the heat of the day. Pre-cooling removes waste heat from the building’s walls, further reducing cooling costs during the day.

Portable air conditioner gives you more control

If your company does not own the building, you may not be able to run the air conditioning at night. The landlord might restrict electricity use at night or get annoyed with a tenant who uses power when the offices are empty. While it is possible that explaining the principle of night cooling could help, another solution is to take control by supplementing the server room air conditioning with spot coolers.

Portable air conditioners allow you to cool down when and where you need it. Because they are portable, they can be deployed at night to pre-cool the building and then stored during the day out of the way. Some companies install them as permanent enhancements to a building’s central air conditioning system.

Reducing energy use helps your business save money, but using energy smarter increases those savings even more. Nighttime cooling reduces utility costs and, by putting less stress on AC systems during the day, it also reduces maintenance and repair expenses.