Device monitors data center power consumption

Universal Electric recently upgraded its power-consumption monitoring-and-management capabilities with the introduction of the StarLine Critical Power Monitor (CPM). The StarLine CPM “is a revenue-grade power-monitoring device that effectively monitors power usage and distribution in the data center environment,” Universal Electric said when announcing the solution, “enabling organizations to maximize energy management and efficiency.”

Mark Swift, Universal Electric’s director of marketing, commented, “Data center activity represents a significant portion of the power consumed in the world at any given time. This makes the data center in every organization the epicenter for power-management issues—from costs and consumption to energy efficiency. The StarLine CPM drills down to provide critical energy usage statistics so that data center managers can analyze the information and then can act upon it.”

The company says the monitoring system is “designed so it can be fully integrated into both feed and plug-in units of StarLine Track Busway,” and that it “can accommodate up to six current inputs, making it one of the few devices available on the busway market today that can monitor power consumption at the multiple-receptacle level.”

Each device is equipped with an enhanced monitoring package, Universal Electric added, which enables users to monitor, integrate and display data center power-consumption information. It also comes with an easy-to-install, user-friendly web interface so data center managers can quickly provision and implement, Universal Electric noted. Connectivity options include wired Ethernet, Modbus, and 802.11n WiFi.

“By constantly monitoring power consumption right at the receptacle, we are giving data center managers the granularity of data necessary to effectively do their jobs,” Swift said. “Armed with this information, they can help ensure that the organization understands their power consumption and then make informed decisions about power management for the entire company.”

The StarLine CPM is calibrated to meet ANSI revenue-grade standards for power usage, and comes with a variety of communication interfaces that “facilitate seamless integration with a building-management system and data center infrastructure management packages,” Universal Electric concluded.