In a statement issued jointly by Verizon and Polargy, the two companies stated that Verizon used Polargy's PolarPlex containment system in 12 of its United States data centers. The containment systems resulted in an annualized savings of 18.8 million kilowatt hours of energy use and a 7.7-percent overall improvement in energy efficiency. The 12 data centers that deployed the containment systems account for nearly 1 million square feet of facility space, the companies said.
The systems in place use a number of methods to keep hot and cold air separated in the data centers, including redirection of hot air, the installation of containment panels and blanking panels that fill empty spaces in racks and enclosures.
The project began last year and the companies say the measures taken have so far improved the data centers' Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency (DCiE) rating from an aggregate 0.45 to 0.5. Verizon's ditector of national technical operations Mark Capurso said using Polargy's PolarPlex cold-aisle containment system lowered his requirements for airflow along with A/C use.
Notably, among the products and services Polargy provided to Verizon were approvals from local fire marshals. The concept of aisle containment has made some data center managers skittish because a containment system that goes all the way from a floor to a ceiling, or otherwise attaches to a facility's support structure, can put the facility in violation of fire codes. In this case, the companies say, Polargy saw to it that the plans for and ultimate impelementation of the aisle-containment systems kept the Verizon data center facilities in compliance with local codes.