UK telecoms data centre cooling upgrade cuts costs

Secure I.T. Environments has completed a cooling infrastructure upgrade for a UK telecommunications operator's data centre, a project expected to cut annual energy costs by 69%.

The work involved replacing ageing air conditioning equipment at an offshore telecoms site that operates continuously. The installation was completed in a live environment without disrupting services, with uninterrupted operations maintained throughout the project.

The customer has not been named, but is described as one of the UK's leading telecommunications providers. The site's previous cooling units were nearly 20 years old, prompting a replacement programme to reduce running costs and modernise critical infrastructure.

The upgrade delivered a Cooling PUE of 1.13 and is projected to achieve return on investment in 1.29 years. The figures underline the financial case for replacing older plant in data halls, where electricity remains a major operating expense.

The installation included three indoor Multi-DENCO DMF065D downflow air conditioning units. Each provides 59.7kW of net sensible cooling, with the range operating under typical conditions at a sensible heat ratio of 1.0.

The new system uses free cooling infrastructure and replaces end-of-life equipment that had supported a mission-critical telecoms environment. Upgrades at sites like this can be difficult because equipment must be removed and replaced while digital services continue running around the clock.

Secure I.T. Environments focuses on UK data centre design and build projects, including modular, containerised and micro data centres, as well as mechanical and electrical infrastructure. Its work spans private sector customers as well as healthcare, education and government organisations.

Cooling systems have become a growing focus for operators seeking to reduce energy use in facilities that support telecoms networks, cloud services and other digital workloads. Older air conditioning systems can be costly to maintain and less efficient than newer alternatives, particularly at sites where demand varies over time and equipment must respond to changing thermal loads.

Precision cooling suppliers have increasingly introduced inverter-driven systems designed to match output more closely to real-time demand. In this case, the selected units use an internal inverter compressor, electronic expansion valve and fans to vary output and improve efficiency during partial-load operation.

The project also reflects the operational pressure on telecoms providers to maintain network and service continuity during infrastructure changes. Data centre work in a 24/7 setting often requires phased installation, careful sequencing and contingency planning, especially when cooling systems are essential to keeping server and network equipment within safe operating conditions.

Efficiency focus

The project was presented as an example of how facilities operators can update core plant without interrupting service. That is particularly relevant in the telecoms sector, where outages can affect both retail and wholesale customers and quickly trigger wider operational problems.

Chris Wellfair outlined the rationale for such projects.

"The advances in data centre cooling equipment deliver substantially improved energy efficiency and a rapid return on investment. These projects should be seen as investments in resilience and reduced operational costs and, delivered with the right partner, can take place with no breaks in service and minimal disruption," said Chris Wellfair, Projects Director, Secure I.T. Environments.