FM Services and server based hosting in a data centre should not cost the earth, be it in your pocket or the environment. The Linix Group has since 2000 been an innovator in "Green" hosting, reducing energy wasted by traditional Data Centres up to 75%.

We have used some know methods to reduce energy exposure and some not so well know methods. 

Rotary Heat Exchangers.
Night-Cooling.
Block-Negative Energy Storage.
Hot Cold Aisle Containment.
Lastly - Customer advice.

We are able to run our Data Centre for 350 days of the year using "Green-Cooling."  Unlike most other Data Centres who reduce costs by the use of air-economisers (outside air to cool servers in the data centre) we feel that heat exchangers are a better choice. 

Rather than introducing exterior air directly into the server room, the heat wheel briefly mixes the outside air and exhaust air to creates an “air-to-air” heat exchanger. The combination of heat and humidity recovery of rotary heat exchangers is a highly efficient energy-saving technology. It is common to have energy recovery rates between 70-90%.

Supply and exhaust air each pass through half of the wheel in counter flow directions. The rotor matrix is a rotating transfer media. It temporarily takes up the heat from the warm air stream and releases it in the colder air stream.

The hygroscopic coating of the storage matrix brings the additional advantage of recovering moisture. Typical summer application is dehumidification of warm and humid supply air to reduce the energy consumption of the down stream cooling equipment. During winter operation this feature recovers moisture from the exhaust air to reduce the humidification load.

The technology has now been implemented by European telecom firm KPN in one of its CyberCentre data centres in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. KPN uses the system at outside temperatures of up to 22C degrees, and it effectively cools exhaust air of up to 37C degrees.

Instead of flooding the Data Centre with cold air, the cold aisle containment system effectively traps the cool air exactly where it is needed directly in front of the air intake of the servers.