Date of Award

Spring 2016

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Information Technology

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Michael Jonas

Second Advisor

Karen Jin

Third Advisor

Jeremiah Johnson

Abstract

Server rooms everywhere face a continuous problem: energy costs. These costs come from running the servers more often than necessary, including college settings where students’ use of servers for projects can be sparse and lacks continuity. The University of New Hampshire at Manchester (UNH-M) has such a server room with these problems. domotics stood out from the rest when researching possible solutions. domotics is the study of applications of information technology to create intelligent home environments and can be used to conserve energy. In this work we thoroughly examine common domotics solutions to determine the best one to apply to a server room setting to save energy.

We demonstrate a solution that is both cost-conscious as well as simple to implement. This is done by developing a prototype tool based on the X10 protocol that allowed for easy and efficient power management for a series of servers. The result is a significant reduction in energy waste for the UNH-M server room over the course of a year with a relatively simple installation process. These estimated results are also compared to the overall energy analysis of the academic building it is housed in. This analysis focused on the monthly usage of energy, a survey of faculty habits, and finally the impact of the solar panels on the building.

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