A great concern in large data centers is the logistical problem of the heat that is generated by servers and machinery within the data center. All day long, the heat from the machinery cooks up the bricks and the cumulative effect causes the entire data center to heat up deeper and deeper to the point where even the cool temperatures of the night cannot bring it back to ambient temperatures. The data centers significantly become hotter on the roof where the air con condensers are located when environmental temperatures are high and this is a major concern for shutting down the data center due to temperatures higher than safe operating levels.
The data center machinery needs to stay cool to function property. With such high temperatures to deal with it easily becomes an energy-inefficient cycle when trying to keep the data center cool. The more the machines operated in the data center, the hotter it gets and the more power is necessary to cool the entire place to ambient temperatures. Almost all data centers have artificial cooling except the ones build in remote locations and relying on cool outdoor temperatures for heat control. The most effective way to keep your data center cool without spending excessively on artificially cooling systems such as air conditioners is by using an efficient roof.
The data center roof is the one thing between your equipment and the rays of the sun, which beat down on the roof all day significantly raising the temperatures of the inside of the building. Warm and sunny states such as Florida are directly affected by this concept. To make it worse, some roofing materials absorb and trap heat inside causing the interior of the building to stay warm even at night.
The effects of the roof inside the data center depends on certain factors such as materials which are more conductive and readily trap heat and color, especially dark colored roofs and those covered in tar paper conducting more heat. The amount of sunshine the roof is exposed to all day also affects temperatures.
So what are the best solutions for keeping your data center cool with the right roofing? For one, a light or white colored roof is going to reflect sunlight instead of trapping it. You can have a professional roofing company change the color of your roof to keep your data center cooler and save on energy costs. More advanced roofing solutions to cool roofs include sunshades across the roof and roof gardens to absorb the heat from the sun.
Wind resistance is also an important consideration for data center roofing. Exceeding code requirements for wind resistance in data center roofing is an important feature. Wind can be a good cooling component as it carries away the hot air, but high wind speeds can lead to wind induced failures such roof membrane failure, roof structure failure and structural failure of the entire building. Even wind rating of doors, windows and other openings is important.
