Data Center Cooling Calculator

Calculate cooling requirements from IT power load.

PUE = Total Facility Power / IT Power
Lighting, people, building envelope, etc.
Recommended 20% for growth/redundancy

Cooling Reference

Conversion Value
1 kW3,412 BTU/hr
1 Ton of Cooling12,000 BTU/hr
1 Ton of Cooling3.517 kW
CFM per kW (20F ΔT)~160 CFM/kW

Data Center Cooling Fundamentals

Heat Load Sources

  • IT Equipment: Primary heat source (100% of power = heat)
  • UPS/Power: 5-15% of IT load
  • Lighting: ~1-2 W per sq ft
  • People: ~250 BTU/hr per person
  • Building: Varies by insulation

Cooling Best Practices

  • Hot/cold aisle containment
  • Raise supply air temperature (ASHRAE allows up to 80.6F)
  • Use variable speed drives on fans
  • Consider free cooling / economizers
  • Match airflow to heat load