Metering, Devolved Energy Budgeting and Charging for Energy Use

Colin Love

ULCC Data Centre Manager

Who are ULCC ?

• Wholly owned subsidiary of the University of London

• Receive no direct funding and so self-sufficient

• Operate own data centre facility (568sqM of IT space)

• Large number of external customers taking services

ranging from simple co-location hosting up to full

operating system & application management

• Not for profit organisation

Metering, Devolved Energy Budgeting and Charging for Energy Use

• What we meter, where and why

• Who we charge for power usage

• Why devolve energy budgeting

Electrical Distribution

• Single main panel for Data Centre and associated

equipment (plant kit) with dual grid feeds and standby

generator

• Dual feeds to dedicated plant equipment panel

• Dual UPS units running as 2N

• 4 PDUs within Data centre (2 per UPS), with discreet

A and B supplies to every cabinet

Power meters

DIRIS A40 Panel Meter Main Incomer

In rack power monitors

CL-Amp unit In rack PDU monitor

In rack PDU monitor

Close up Raw data

Why monitor power usage

• To ensure power demand doesn’t exceed availability

(limited power availability in the Data Centre)

• Understand PuE of the Data Centre so improvements

can be implemented

• To monitor and charge customers for excess power

usage where appropriate

• IT power loads are increasing, even with virtualisation

• Planning for the future – PuE, CRC, EUCoC

Improving Data Centre Efficiency

• Rack Containment

• More efficient cooling (in-row, free air, ECC fans)

• Higher temperatures in Data Centre (difficult in a co-

location environment due to legacy kit!!)

ULCC Data Centre 2

• Learnt from the original data centre

• Hot aisle-containment solution

• More efficient air conditioning, although still DX

because of building fabric limitations

• Metering is more focused, and more accurate in-rack

monitoring as greenfield site.

Devolved Energy Budgeting

• Why devolve

– Reduced space charges typically, but....

– The risks are higher overall costs

– Greater visibility of power usage

– Directly benefit from efficiency improvements

– Results in much closer involvement in energy

efficiency overall

The Future

• More sub-metering of supplies

• Networkable meters to provide trending data

• Better management software for the whole Data

Centre estate

• CRC challenges, EU Code of Conduct

Thank You

• Any Questions ???

• Contact Me: C.Love@ulcc.ac.uk

• GoodCampus/RECSO case study at

http://www.goodcampus.org/susteit/susteit-cases/