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Data Center Profiler Software Tool Suite

Companies can use the Data Center Profiler (DC Pro) Software Tool Suite to identify and evaluate energy efficiency opportunities in data centers. The suite features a Profiling Tool and a set of System Assessment Tools to perform energy assessments on specific areas of a data center. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Intended Users

The DC Pro Tool Suite is designed for data center owners and operators who want to diagnose how energy is being used by their data centers and determine ways to save energy and money.

System Requirements

Online version of DC Pro Software Tool
The Profiling Tool is a web-based application and can be accessed from any computer using a browser with internet connectivity. The Profiling Tool is best viewed using:

• Windows Internet Explorer 6.x (32-bit)
• Windows Internet Explorer 7.x (32-bit)
• Windows Internet Explorer 8.x (32-bit) (includes running in compatibility mode)

The tool is hosted by the Energy Management Portal which is based on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 technology. Please refer to Microsoft's resource center for more information about client support for SharePoint 2007.

Downloadable version of DC Pro Software Tool
This version of the Profiling Tool can be downloaded to a local computer and installed on the computer to run the tool. System Requirements for the tool are:

• OS Microsoft Windows 7
• Microsoft IE 7 or higher
• 32-bit Operating system
• .NET framework 2.0 or higher
• Administrative privileges on the local computer

DC Pro Profiling Tool

Use the Profiling Tool as a first step to identify potential savings and to reduce environmental emissions associated with data center energy use. Once you acquire your input data, you can complete a profile in a few hours.

Inputs

To use the Profiling Tool, users will need to input the following information:

• Description
• Utility bill data
• System information for IT, HVAC, electrical, and on-site generation

Outputs

Based on input, the Profiling Tool will provide:

• Overall picture of energy use and efficiency
• End-use breakout—site or source energy
• Potential areas for energy efficiency improvement
• Overall energy use reduction potential

System Assessment Tools

Air-Management Tool

Air management in data centers is important both for energy and thermal management. The Air-Management Tool is intended mainly for raised-floor cooling with hot/cold equipment aisles.

Inputs

To use the Air-Management Tool, users will need to fill in data and answer questions on four input sheets:

• Air-handler unit data for calculating Return Temperature Index (RTI) (energy metric)
• IT-equipment data for calculating the RTI metric
• IT-equipment intake temperatures for calculating Rack Cooling Index (RCI) (equipment cooling metric)
• Main input with questions for determining energy savings and recommendations

Outputs

Based on input, the Air-Management Tool will:

• Provide air-management recommendations
• Estimate the potential for reducing supply airflow rate and increasing supply air temperature
• Estimate the percentage of energy reduction for fans and chillers

Electrical Systems Tool

This tool is designed to help assess the potential savings from efficiency actions in the electrical power chain of a data center, including lighting.

Inputs

To use the Electrical Systems Tool, users will need to input:

• Basic configuration and efficiency information on electrical system components such as transformers, generators, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), power distribution unit (PDU) devices, and lighting
• Energy use of electrical systems

Outputs

Based on input, the Electrical Systems Tool will:

• Estimate potential savings for various electrical system efficiency actions.

Brochure and Fact Sheet

• DC Pro Tool Suite Brochure, Dec. 2010
• DC Pro Tool Suite Fact Sheet, Aug. 2010

Additional Resources

These resources can help you conduct your own data center energy use assessment:

• Data Center Energy Assessment Process — use this document as a step-by-step guideline for performing an assessment and see which DOE tools are available to help you with each step
• Master List of Actions for DC Pro, Jun. 2008 — this master list contains many of the energy efficiency actions addressed by the DC Pro Tool Suite that you can copy and paste into your data center assessment report
• Standard Report Template for Conducting a Data Center Energy Efficiency Assessment — this fillable document provides a template for your own data center assessment report, including the type of data that should be included.