Schneider Electric Launches Data Center Assessment Services

The recent acquisition of Summit Energy has given Schneider Electric a broader energy management services and solution portfolio, evidenced by the company’s EnergyStep Data Center Assessment service, which gives managers a peek at the power, cooling, physical infrastructure and operational efficiencies (or lack thereof) of a data center.

Services include the Data Center Assessment and the EnergyStep1 entry-level assessment, which enable data center performance benchmarking, measured against industry standards such as the Green Grid Data Center Maturity Model.

The EnergyStep1 introductory assessment service evaluates floor layout and air distribution, rack configuration, computer room air conditioner (CRAC) units, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) batteries and utility usage, which helps identify deficiencies that can limit capacity, availability and energy efficiency.

Additional services include energy management software, remote monitoring and the design and build of energy efficient data centers, as well as the Energy Sustainability Tiered Efficiency Program, which provides services and expertise to help customers save energy in their offices, plants, manufacturing facilities or industrial environments.

“This service is designed to identify local, state, and federal energy efficiency incentive opportunities. Oftentimes there are programs designed to support data center upgrades where the incentives will pay upwards of 50 percent of the cost,” said Himanshu Patel, strategic marketing manager for Schneider Electric. “This “free money” is typically used to offset the implementation costs and lower the overall project payback.

Patel said this allows for resellers to establish themselves as a trusted adviser, while also providing them with a roadmap on ways to continually improve the data center.