If your server room is running colder than necessary, you could be wasting thousands of dollars each year on energy costs. Many Massachusetts businesses keep their IT rooms at unnecessarily low temperatures, fearing that raising them even a few degrees will cause overheating or equipment failure. The reality? This overcooling leads to inflated electricity bills without significantly improving IT performance.
At Harold Brothers, we’ve spent 16 years helping businesses find the ideal balance between cooling efficiency and IT performance. We understand the challenges of managing IT room temperatures while dealing with Massachusetts' high energy costs.
In this article, we’ll break down how adjusting your server room temperature can lead to cost savings, using real Massachusetts energy rates to show you exactly how much you can save. Plus, we’ll provide practical strategies to optimize your cooling system—without compromising your IT equipment.
By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to reduce energy costs without compromising IP reliability.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends that data centers and server rooms maintain temperatures between 64.4°F (18°C) and 80.6°F (27°C).
IT professionals typically prefer cooler environments, between 68°F (20°C) and 71°F (21.7°C), to extend hardware lifespan and reduce overheating risks. HVAC experts, advocate for slightly warmer temperatures to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational costs.
Finding a balance between these perspectives can help businesses maximize both performance and cost savings.
Massachusetts has one of the highest electricity rates in the United States. As of early 2024, the average commercial electricity rate in Massachusetts was approximately 16.19 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
This means that data centers and businesses running IT server rooms at unnecessarily low temperatures were incurring significant costs.
Cooling a server room at 65°F requires substantially more energy than maintaining it at 75°F. According to industry studies, for every 1°F increase in server room temperature, cooling costs decrease by approximately 4-5%.
Assume a typical small to mid-sized server room consumes 10,000 kWh per month, look at the price difference when you set your thermostat at 75° instead of 65°.
| Server Room Temperature | Energy Usage (kWh/month) | Monthly Cost (@$0.1619/kWh) |
| 65°F | 10,000 kWh | $1,619 |
| 75°F | 6,000 kWh (40% savings) | $971 |
| Total Savings | 4,000 kWh/month | $648/month or $7,776/year |
By increasing the temperature from 65°F to 75°F, businesses can save approximately $648 per month or $7,776 per year per server room. For companies operating many server rooms, these savings can be even greater.
Lowering cooling costs does not mean compromising IT equipment performance. By using efficient cooling strategies, businesses can maintain optimal conditions while reducing energy costs.
Rather than making a large shift from 65°F to 75°F, businesses should increase server room temperatures gradually while monitoring equipment performance. Many modern servers are designed to handle higher temperatures without risk, so small adjustments can help find the ideal balance between cooling efficiency and reliability.
Poor airflow management can cause temperature imbalances, leading to unnecessary overcooling. Businesses should consider:
Smart thermostats and variable-speed cooling systems can adjust cooling output based on real-time server room demands. Instead of running air conditioning at full capacity continuously, these systems modulate cooling levels dynamically, significantly reducing energy consumption.
Massachusetts has a cool climate for a significant part of the year, making it an ideal location for free cooling techniques, such as:
Neglected HVAC systems can drive up cooling costs due to inefficiencies. A Preventative Maintenance Contract (PM) would be ideal. If you don’t have a PM then Regular maintenance should include:
Monitoring different zones of the server room can help businesses prevent unnecessary overcooling. Smart sensors provide real-time data, allowing for more precise temperature control and preventing hot spots that can lead to excessive energy use.
A common misconception is that higher temperatures shorten the lifespan of IT equipment. While excessive heat can be harmful, most modern servers are designed to function efficiently at higher temperatures than in previous decades.
Tech giants like Google and Facebook have experimented with higher server room temperatures, operating some data centers at 80°F to 85°F without performance degradation.
For small to mid-sized businesses, raising IT room temperatures to 74-75°F provides major cost savings—without risk.
A Boston-based financial services company was maintaining its server room at 66°F, spending approximately $2,500 per month on cooling costs. By implementing the following changes:
They reduced cooling energy usage by 35%, saving $10,500 annually while maintaining optimal IT performance.
Keeping your IT room cool is essential, but overcooling leads to unnecessary energy expenses. By adjusting your server room temperature according to the ASHRAE guidelines and using smart cooling methods, you can save money while keeping your IT systems working well.
For a long time, businesses have spent too much money cooling IT rooms because they thought lower temperatures were necessary. But companies like Google and Facebook have shown that modern servers can work just fine at higher temperatures, saving energy and money.
Now that you know how temperature changes can affect your costs, the next step is to take a look at your server room's cooling system. Start by gradually raising the temperature settings, improving airflow, and using smart HVAC controls to save energy.
Harold Brothers specializes in helping businesses maximize IT performance while reducing energy costs. If you’re ready to take control of your cooling expenses, contact us today for expert guidance on optimizing your server room cooling strategy.