Operating Efficiencies
iFortress is a structural platform that not only enables but empowers all “best practice initiatives” when it comes to energy efficiency. A totally controlled environment, the MCF Series iFortress™ is a highly insulated, airtight, hermetically sealed facility, which facilitates the highest degree of equipment optimization possible and inherently secures the facility from many external influences including dust and humidity, which means significantly less maintenance and operating costs.
Standard or conventional construction practitioners cause you to over-pressurize your data centers just to keep dust and humidity from intruding your space, which from an energy perspective is quite expensive and a grossly inefficient attempt to deal with a porously constructed and inefficient facility. This practice results in the constant running of equipment needed just to create the pressure. Yet, even with all of these efforts, this does not materially impact your need to maintain or replace air filters on a quarterly if not monthly basis. Nor does it alter the need to deploy a substantial de-humidification infrastructure. Dust and humidity reduce energy efficiency while decreasing the life span of the operating equipment. iFortress mitigates dust and humidity, which in turn reduces the costs typically associated with the operation and maintenance of most mechanical systems.
Reduced filter changes and cleaning costs combined with the increased life expectancy of operational components yields drastic reduction in maintenance costs.
iFortress creates multiple energy related benefits including:
- Reducing the need to “over-pressurize” the facility by as much as 20% with excess fans running 24X7X365.
- The ability to run at higher average set temperatures where each degree can translate to tens of thousands in operating efficiencies per year, per facility.
- The ability to optimally deliver unmixed hot air to the heat exchanger at the highest temperatures, thus increasing heat exchange efficiency.
- iFortress’ resilience to humidity virtually eliminates the need to dehumidify your data center.
- The ability to use less energy in lighting yet deliver higher average candles per square foot due to the highly reflective factory-finished interior surface.
Over the life of the facility, the cumulative impact of these benefits will deliver net operating savings that greatly exceed the cost of the iFortress components and their installation.
In an era of “Green” initiatives and “LEED” certification, iFortress addresses both the environmental and political concerns of organizations that are working to be environmentally responsible and fiscally efficient.