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Opinion: Climate management for cable telecommunications providers

Opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of S&P Global Market Intelligence.

“Climate management” isn’t always about our planet, but in the same way that temperature, humidity and other factors affect us, so too do they impact the hardware that enables global communications networks.

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Derek DiGiacomo,
senior director, energy management programs and business continuity, SCTE

Bio: An 18-year veteran of SCTE, Derek DiGiacomo has been responsible for managing the organization’s energy management efforts, most notably the Energy 2020 program. Energy 2020 is an industrywide effort that set out to help shape what energy will look like for cable in 2020 and beyond.

Source: SCTE

The need to keep equipment cool to optimize performance and preserve functional life of hardware is a fact of life for all communications networks. While equipment often is evaluated on its ability to provide service, cable telecommunications providers also recognize the importance of dealing with the heat that is produced when power is consumed and converted into functional work.

This can be significant, even in the abstract. Some of fully loaded racks containing cable radio frequency and routing equipment can consume upwards of 20 kW. Converting the kW to British Thermal Units (Btu), 20 kW equals 68,243 Btu. In principle, this equates to about 6 tons of cooling (assuming airflow is properly managed).

Because cable operator critical facilities differ in size and configuration (a detailed description is in SCTE 226 2015, “Cable Facility Classification Definitions and Requirements"), cooling requirements are similarly varied. A 10,000 square foot SCTE 226 class A data center can have significant cooling infrastructure such as chiller plant (collection of water or cooling agent), large pumps, heat exchangers, pipes and leak detection systems. On the other hand, a 750-square-foot SCTE 226 class D hub site may resemble the typical residential cooling system. It is important that systems be sized appropriately, as HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) short cycling can lead to premature failure of cooling systems and higher electricity costs.

Information regarding facility numbers and configurations understandably belongs to the operators who own them, but it is estimated that the number of the smaller-sized sites (Class C/D headends and hubs) across the U.S. alone totals 5,000 or more. In addition to the operation costs of cooling these facilities, operators also have to factor in the “life expediency” of the cooling equipment.

Cooling units have a useful life expectancy of about 20 years, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, a global professional association seeking to advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems design and construction.

According to ASHRAE, cooling units have a useful life expectancy of about 20 years.

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Cable Operator Facility Classes and Legacy Terminology

Source: SCTE

With cable taking the long view on energy management, the decision to replace cooling units incorporates multiple criteria. Issues such as anticipated service length, power consumption and the importance of ensuring network uptime should be paramount. Hence, considerations should include:

  1. Total cost of ownership, including system design, selection and installation costs, energy costs (kWh/year), water costs (if liquid cooled), manufacturer’s recommended maintenance costs (filters, pumps, tune-ups), unplanned maintenance cost, and disposal costs. Proposed basic formula: Total cost of ownership = [upfront sunk cost + (cooling hours/year x kWh) + (water costs/gallon/year) + (maintenance costs) + (unexpected annual costs) + (disposal costs)].
  2. Efficiency, which is calculated over a range of outside temperatures. Energy Efficiency Ratio of a cooling unit typically is determined by a set outside air temperature, a set inside air temperature and a 50% relative humidity. This can be calculated by the following formula: Btu of cooling output divided by the Watt hours of electrical input.
  3. Location and local climate patterns of the installation.
  4. Redundancy needs. Given the need for service availability, is a single unit sufficient or are multiple systems needed? If the latter, can they communicate with one another to extend the life of each system?
  5. Performance Monitoring. Alerts to performance degradation are critical, particularly when units require special access such as a ladder or other safety clearance. As operators increase delivery of business services, the cost of network downtime is growing. Here is a simple downtime cost model: Cost of Outage = Number of customers Impacted x Number of Minutes of Outage x SLA penalties. A report from Ponemon Institute noted that the average per minute cost of an unplanned incident is $9,000.00.
  6. Service Contracts. Considerations include the need for priority scheduling with a reputable company that can perform the necessary tasks over the life of the system.

Whether the discussion has revolved around cost or the need to ensure reliable service delivery, the role of cooling in operators’ bottom lines has taken on increasing prominence in recent years. By properly managing their cooling infrastructure, operators can increase operational efficiency, prolong the lifespan of critical equipment and ensure uptime that can result in higher levels of customer satisfaction.

SCTE guides the U.S. and increasingly global cable and telecom providers through initiatives and standards aimed at improving the quality of service and advancing technologies as well as sustaining and diversifying the industry. It counts companies such as Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and Charter Communications Inc. as members.