The Planet Extends Lights-Out Program?
September 2, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Web hosting provider The Planet (theplanet.com) announced on Tuesday that it has unveiled the initial results of its lights-out program, a company-wide initiative to reduce energy consumption through more efficient use of lighting.

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Implemented across all six of its facilities in Houston and Dallas, the company will reduce its yearly energy consumption by more than 1.4 million kilowatt hours, which amounts to nearly $140,000 in annual cost savings.

The company initiated the lights-on policy at its six data centers, which store more than 56,000 servers, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Down from 24 hours a day, data center technicians who work around the clock now turn on lights as needed in computer rooms.

The company helps reduce the need to illuminate overhead lights through the use of programmed lamps in main areas, which remain in a "constant on" state, enabling a few overhead lamps to remain on when the main light switched off.

The extension of the lights-off policy will now include all data center facilities, including the computer, electrical, battery, UPS and mechanical rooms.

The company's corporate offices in Dallas and Houston will also follow the policy, with motion-sensor lighting installed in all individual offices, as well as main lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning programmed to run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Overall, 95 percent of office lighting remains off for 12 hours of the day. Only the areas staffed around the clock, including the Call Center, Network Operations Center and Sales, have the option for after-hours zone lighting and HVAC.

"Texas is the energy capital of the world, so we're acutely aware of conserving resources," says Jeff Lowenberg, The Planet's vice president of facilities. "At The Planet we employ a common-sense approach to energy conservation, so our lights-out program focuses on another simple solution to reduce energy consumption."

In May, Lowenberg was named "data center manager of the year" by SearchDataCenter.com, based on his work to save the company more than $1 million in energy costs in 2008.

The Planet takes on a more common sense approach to energy efficiency, such as the lights-out program. Lowenberg previously conducted a six-month trial designed to reduce power consumption and improve operating efficiency.

As a result, the company increased server loads by five percent, decreased power used for cooling by 31 percent, with an overall power reduction of 13.5 percent through different improvements it applied across all of its data centers.