Data centers and the server racks they house consume a massive amount of energy on any given day of operation. And because server racks are such a crucial component of everyday business, it’s preferable to make your server rack enclosures more efficient to save money and resources rather than shut down your servers entirely.

Luckily, one of the easiest ways to make your server racks consume less energy is to improve the energy-efficiency of your data center’s cooling system, which is responsible for regulating the temperature in your server rooms.

Want to make the cooling of your data center’s server enclosures more efficient? Check out these three tips:

Implement a hot-aisle cold-aisle scheme

The way you arrange your server rack cabinets matters. Rather than keeping your entire server room at the temperature of a walk-in cooler, which requires tons of energy, try arranging your servers in rows where the fronts of the cabinets face each other — creating cool aisles — and where the backs of the cabinets face each other, creating hot aisles. According to one TDI Data Centers study, arranging server cabinets in a hot-aisle cold-aisle scheme can reduce cooling energy consumption up to 20%.

Block off unused server cabinet space

By blocking off the parts of your server cabinets that aren’t being used, you’ll be able to prevent hot air from recirculating within the server enclosure, promoting better cool air circulation in the process. Many blanking panels can be installed without the use of tools, as well.

De-tangle cables

Having too many tangled, unorganized cables blocks the flow and distribution of cold air within your server cabinets. To make your server cabinets more efficient, take the time do untangle these cables and consider placing them in a high-volume cable manager.

Have any other questions for us on keeping your data center’s server rack enclosures efficient and performing at their highest caliber? Ask us anything in the comments below. More on this topic.