Employee Life at a Green Data Center
What's it like to work in a green data center? The relentless focus on energy efficiency extends to coffee pots.
December 4, 2007
As companies build more green data centers, more data center staffers will be working in these energy-conscious environments. What's it like to work in a green data center? Carolyn Duffy Marsan of Network World explores that question in an interesting story about the tradeoffs involved in LEED-certified facilities.
Green buildings typically have fewer electric outlets, and employees are urged to pool resources. "It takes a lot of marketing and education" to get employees used to working in a green building, says Chris Long, director of sustainable development at the EPA's facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C. One of the major hot-button issues for employees is limits on the use of printers. Another common restriction strikes me as a far more critical issue for data center staff:
"Mr. Coffee uses about 1000 watts when it is brewing, and it cycles on and off. It's 250 watts of constant power if you're keeping a hotplate warm," Long says. "We have rules that allow no more than two coffee pots for every dozen or so people."
The story is part of a package of stories on energy-efficient data centers at Network World.
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