The Hidden Cost of AI

How Efficiency is the Secret Weapon Against Data Center Energy Waste

If you've followed the news lately, you know the narrative around Artificial Intelligence has taken a turn. While the technology promises to reshape our world, reports like the one recently published by NPR are sounding the alarm: the sheer energy demand from the massive data centers powering this AI boom is straining electric grids, driving up consumer costs, and forcing utilities to lean back on fossil fuels.

The numbers are staggering. A single, large AI data center can consume as much electricity as 100,000 homes. Experts project that by 2030, global electricity demand from data centers could double.

At Energy Performance Solutions, we see this challenge not as an obstacle, but as a critical mission. To cool the supercomputers that run AI, data centers are forced to manage an enormous amount of waste heat. This heat is the real enemy of the grid, and it’s why our technology, focused on restoring and exceeding design efficiency across the entire cooling cycle, is one of the fastest, most effective ways to start reversing the environmental impact right now.

The energy consumption in a data center is a vicious cycle: servers generate heat, which the HVAC system must remove, demanding massive amounts of electricity and, often, water. Our solutions tackle the cooling system's three most significant points of failure: the coils, the fluids, and the distribution system.

1. Reclaiming Peak Performance at the Core: CoilSafe & CoilSafe Plus

At the heart of every data center’s cooling infrastructure are the coils—the unsung heroes responsible for transferring heat out of the facility. Over time, these coils become fouled with dirt, dust, and biological growth. Even a microscopic layer of fouling creates a thermal barrier that reduces heat transfer efficiency.

This seemingly small issue forces the entire chiller plant to compensate. Chillers run longer, consume more kilowatt-hours (kWh), and often cannot achieve optimal temperatures.

• CoilSafe is designed to bond with the coil fins and protect them from corrosion as well as fouling. This helps the heat transfer capacity of the system stay as close to its original, factory-fresh design levels as possible.

• CoilSafe Plus takes it a step further by integrating a silver ion antimicrobial agent, making it ideal for evaporator coils in high-moisture or high-traffic environments. It actively combats microbial buildup on coil surfaces.

The Impact on AI’s Energy Footprint: By restoring coil efficiency, we immediately reduce the kW/Ton (kilowatts per ton of cooling) required by the chiller plant. A single percentage point reduction here translates into millions of saved kilowatt-hours across an entire year for a hyperscale facility. This is electricity demand that is instantly taken off the strained local grid, freeing up capacity without building a single new power plant.

2. Sealing the System Against the Elements: ThermalBlock™

The sheer volume of ductwork and piping exposed to the environment outside a data center is a huge vulnerability. Just like the hospital we previously helped, Kindred San Antonio, every degree of temperature gained from solar heat or lost to air leakage is energy that the servers have to pay for twice: first to generate the heat, and then to overwork the cooling system to remove it.

ThermalBlock provides a highly reflective thermal armor for exterior ductwork, piping, and rooftop air handling units (AHUs).

The Impact on AI’s Energy Footprint: By applying ThermalBlock™ to exposed infrastructure, we drastically reduce solar heat gain and air infiltration. This means that when chilled air or fluid travels from the chiller plant to the server rooms, it arrives much closer to its target temperature. This directly reduces the overall heat load the main cooling system has to manage, saving substantial energy and increasing the cooling capacity of existing equipment. In areas where cooling towers are used, greater HVAC efficiency also translates to less water evaporation, addressing the second major environmental concern highlighted by the NPR article.

Efficiency: The Immediate Partner to Renewables

Major tech companies are investing billions in renewable and nuclear energy, but those massive projects take years to come online. The AI boom is happening today.

Energy Performance Solutions offers a solution that delivers measurable, immediate, and significant energy savings within the existing infrastructure. Implementing CoilSafe and ThermalBlock™ in a data center isn't just a maintenance best practice; it is a critical, proactive step in corporate environmental responsibility.

Every kilowatt saved through efficiency is a kilowatt that doesn’t have to be generated by the grid, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the burden on local communities. In the high-stakes race to power the future of AI, efficiency isn't just a luxury; it’s the fastest path to a sustainable and less costly cloud. Contact our team to take the next step.