New server racks with in-row cooling allowed Cimarex to pack more of its data-center equipment into a smaller space, with better management of excess heat and reduced energy consumption.

The reduction in the energy required for the new setup is reflected in the meter readings below, which measure chilled-water consumption for the two computer rooms. The old 400-square-foot server room was overcrowded and overheating before Cimarex expanded into a second, 235-square-foot server room. Yet the new room now houses most of the data center's equipment (about 85 servers) without suffering the same overheating problems. Even with just three Network Appliance storage servers remaining in the old server room, the whole-room air conditioning unit installed there continues to consume about three times the energy (as measured by meter readings for the chilled water supplied to the air conditioning equipment). The difference is that the whole-room unit consumes chilled water at essentially a constant rate, while the in-row chilling system uses it only as necessary and delivers it more efficiently to where it is needed.

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