Sustainability is a critical factor in data center design.  The topic encompasses a series of design trade-offs including: reliability, site selection, water usage, operating parameters, construction materials and cooling efficiencies.

Due to a couple of key paradigm shifts in the industry, today’s data center owners and operators are looking to meet their cooling demands with air cooled solutions. All this needs to be done in conjunction with optimizing energy efficiency leading to a significant change in HVAC system products and design.   

In this conversation, Jeffrey Jerwers of Johnson Controls discusses the trends driving the need for water conservation and associated equipment impact. He details the types of economizers available for mechanical cooling systems, application by climate zone and their associated design tradeoffs.