Importance of Monitoring Power and Energy in Data Centers

When operating a data center in a facility, you have to deal with an array of different network equipment, servers, switches, and other electronics. These systems are connected to the power distribution units (PDUs), remote power panels (RPPs), load transducers, and uninterruptible power supply units (UPS).

Each power control system has a load dynamic, where they are pulling in energy at varying amounts throughout the day to power connected data center equipment. This energy draw can be massive at peak hours, raising electricity costs beyond the established budget. A power monitoring system for data center power systems can help you figure out how much energy is being drawn into servers and other equipment.

Importance of Power and Energy Monitoring

Knowing how much power each individual system pulls from RPP, UPS, and PDU units at specific times of the day helps to better manage energy usage to ensure that all equipment is running at optimal levels. If there is a piece of critical mission equipment that is pulling an excessive amount of power than normal, this could indicate a malfunction, or create power issues with other connected equipment.

When you monitor the power usage of equipment, you can take proactive steps to better manage your energy resources. You can turn off non-essential equipment during peak hours, upgrade to more efficient equipment, or expand your main power distribution systems to better fit your means. Energy monitoring equipment can vary depending on which power distribution equipment you want to evaluate if you are monitoring a single device or several at once, or if you plan to evaluate your power consumption during construction projects or retrofits.

Varying Power Distribution Systems

Depending on your power needs and the size of a data center, you may have a range of different power control systems such as a PDU, UPS, load transducer, and RPP. These systems could have large loads that range from 50 A up to 5,000A. The Enercept Flex E20 series from Veris is great to monitor these size loads.

This energy monitor works with large load transducers and other power control systems on the same rope-style CT. The Enercept Flex E20 can be retrofitted easily into existing systems as the small size can fit into panels that have limited space. It also does not require enclosures or conduit runs.

Panelboard and RPP Monitoring During New Construction Projects

When undergoing new construction projects for data centers, you may have numerous panelboards and RPPs. These panelboards and RPPs protect all your branch circuits from unexpected power surges that could damage sensitive server equipment. Monitoring these energy control systems can help you better control varying power usage that is raising your costs.

The E30 Series can effectively monitor RPPs and panelboards with revenue-grade accuracy. The power meter is perfect when the building is undergoing a new construction project where there is uneven power usage and equipment may have sudden heavy bursts of power consumption that can place undue stress on electrical equipment. You can monitor entire panelboards just through one energy meter as the meter can be tailored for high-density breaker panels.

Panelboards and RPPs during Retrofit Projects

After purchasing additional server racks and other equipment, you may need to retrofit existing panelboard and RPPs to accommodate the power needs of the new networking systems. You may need to replace worn-out breakers, add additional breakers, or switch out old panels that no longer fit your needs. Monitoring the panelboards and RPPs during this retrofit stage ensures that other power control systems continue to run efficiently for operations.

A power meter from the E31 series is designed to monitor the entire panelboard and RPPs with just a single device when you are undergoing retrofit projects. These energy monitoring devices are ideal when you want to avoid wear and tear to systems and want to identify load inefficiencies. They are capable of monitoring up to 92 circuits on each unit and can monitor varying dynamic loads from 50 mA to 100 A.

Getting the Most out of Data Centers

Unexpected downtimes due to power surges, brownouts, and other power malfunctions can limit your daily operations throughout the building. Minimizing malfunctions and other issues ensures that your critical mission equipment will continue to run when needed. Here at Veris, we can provide the power monitoring system for data center equipment whether you are going through new construction, retrofits, or other changes in data center operations. Shop now for the right power meter.