New data center construction expected to boom as demand triples

DALLAS, April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The digital revolution is sapping the power grid, but a new approach to data center construction may help reverse the trend of ever-increasing energy consumption for powering and cooling these facilities. To help data center operators better understand their options, Mestex, the industry leader in evaporative cooling systems, is providing a free tool to demonstrate how infrastructure can be better deployed to manage competing demands for more capacity and greater energy efficiency.

"Data centers are the enablers of this digital revolution," said Mike Kaler, president of Mestex. "The increase in global digital demand and cloud computing is exponential. As demand rises, data centers that house digital information consume more electricity, half of it being used to cool the facility. We wanted to help people see how energy is being consumed and ways for managing infrastructure and costs."

The company believes intelligent technology combined with a flexible, scalable and energy-saving approach is the best way to "build as you grow." Adding plug-and-play cooling units – such as Mestex's own Aztec Evaporative Cooling Units – as capacity increases is the most economical strategy for data centers to manage expansion or new construction while reducing total cost of ownership. Aztec systems are proven to lower power usage by 70% when compared to traditional air conditioning; the system's digital controls, when integrated with other building automation systems, can extend that savings even further.

To help data center operators get a realistic picture of how their own expansion might play out, the company recently launched the Mestex Open Access Project to provide information technologists, facility managers and financial executives the ability to evaluate energy-saving concepts in a real-world environment.

"We've opened access to our equipment, controls and data, because we want to encourage energy savings and demonstrate to data center decision makers that there are smart, effective ways to increase efficiency and optimize operations," Kaler said.

The web-based interface offers visibility into the physical plant and air conditioning system of an operating data center being tested as a part of a project spearheaded by the National Science Foundation. The "open access" gives anyone with Internet access an unembellished look at how a data center is operating, in real time, 24/7.

The Open Access Project harnesses the power of Mestex's direct digital control (DCC) system, which comes standard on all of its HVAC products and can be easily integrated with other HVAC vendors' products and building automation systems to create an intelligent network that controls cooling for optimal efficiency, performance and longevity, as well as provides web-based system monitoring and management.

Note: Mestex President Mike Kaler will be hosting a presentation on mission-critical cooling systems on Wednesday, April 30, at 10:30 a.m. at AFCOM Data Center World at the Mirage Casino-Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. The company is exhibiting (booth #1227) at the conference April 28 – May 2.

Links: 
Aztec Cooling Units for IT applications
Mestex Open Access Project Live View  (To access, Internet Explorer 10 or above is required. Enter "guest" as user name and password.)

Mestex (www.Mestex.com), a division of Mestek, Inc., is a group of HVAC manufacturers with a focus on air handling and a passion for innovation. Mestex is the only HVAC manufacturer offering industry-standard direct digital controls on virtually all of its products, which include Applied Air, Alton, Aztec, Koldwave, Temprite and LJ Wing HVAC systems.

Media Contact:
Christina Divigard
413 341 6780 or [email protected]  

SOURCE Mestex, a division of Mestek, Inc.