Cisco Cisco Energy Management for Distributed Offices Libro bianco
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One area of focus for the facilities department that doesn't really have a corresponding IT term is plug load. Simply
put, this is the amount of energy pulled from any electrical outlet in a building. In enterprise buildings, the plug load
is typically utilized at 40 to 60 percent of the entire energy usage, and the remaining percentage is used by the
building for lighting; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC); and so on. Of the plug load, 60 to 80
percent is utilized by IT devices. (See Table 2 and Figure 2)
Table 2.
Comparing Facilities and Plug Load
Building Type
Facilities
Plug Load
Office
60%
40%
Data center
40%
60%
Figure 2. Comparing Facilities and Plug Load
By learning to understand the terms and primary concerns of each team, both facilities and IT will have the basic
building blocks to understand each other's roles and begin a dialogue to identify energy savings opportunities
within the organization.
We have covered the differences in both the focus areas and the terminology barriers between facilities and IT.
Now it’s time to take a look at the similarities between the two departments and the collaboration needed to
Now it’s time to take a look at the similarities between the two departments and the collaboration needed to
successfully implement an enterprise wide energy management solution. As with all other collaborative
relationships, it is easiest to build a team effort on common ground.
Both facilities and IT provide critical services to the rest of the organization, and, although providing very different
resources, each department works in a similar way. Often projects developed in other departments do not involve
IT as an important part of the implementation until the last minute, leaving IT scrambling for resources at the last
minute. Along the same vein, facilities is only involved by IT when it runs out of available power and the situation is
critical. With data centers running out of space and power at a rapid rate, energy management has become a
growing challenge for IT departments.