Cooling Buildings Without Air Conditioning
Charities are sometimes forced to set up operation in buildings that are less desirable than other properties. Lack of central air conditioning would be one reason a building might have an inexpensive lease or purchase cost. A typical nonprofit is not in a position to install an expensive cooling system, but can make do with portable air conditioning. These units are affordably priced and many units run off standard electrical outlets so can be placed in any facility. Installation doesn’t require an expensive electrician, and they can be moved from place to place to deal with changing cooling needs.

Supplementary Cooling In Hot Months
Even buildings that have their own cooling systems may still be hot in the summer months. The old units may not be able to keep up with rising summer temperatures, or the charity may find they simply can’t afford the high electricity bills that come from cooling the entire place. Portable air conditioning can be used to supplement central units, spot cooling areas where it is most needed, and doing so at a lower cost than dropping temperatures throughout the entire building. Areas such as hallways or bathrooms, where people don’t spend much time, can be kept warmer without endangering anyone’s health.

Charities Team Up To Buy Emergency Cooling
Organizations that can afford central cooling system can still benefit from portable air conditioning. If the central HVAC breaks down, the building is going to heat up quickly. A commercial operating might have spot coolers in storage for such an emergency, but a nonprofit probably can’t afford the luxury. Unfortunately, during heat emergencies it can be nearly impossible to find spot coolers to rent. One option is for several charities to partner up and pool their money to buy portable air conditioners any of the organizations can use in an emergency.

Air Conditioning Is Not A Luxury
Heat related illnesses and deaths are real problems all across the country, and nonprofits are often serving populations who are the most susceptible. Children and senior citizens are more prone to heat stress. The homeless may already be suffering from exposure, dehydration and malnutrition so are less able to fight off heat exhaustion. The Center for Disease Control says that air conditioning is the first line of defense against heat-related illnesses. Portable air conditioning gives nonprofits the flexibility to provide cooling wherever it is needed.

Nonprofit organizations have alternatives when trying to offer necessary services at low cost. Portable air conditioning provides affordable protection against dangerous heat-related illnesses.

Have A Plan
No matter how reliable your server room air conditioning system is, there is always the possibility it will fail. And since cooling systems are the most stressed during summer months, it is almost guaranteed to crash when you need it the most. Loss of cooling can completely shut down a data center in minutes, so IT personnel have to act fast.

A heat emergency is not the time to run around panicking. The data center should have an existing emergency plan that gives clear duties to each person. It should include a step-by-step process for getting the situation under control, from rolling in portable air conditioners up to and including the procedure for shutting the entire server farm down safely to avoid equipment damage. Everyone needs to have already been briefed on the plan so nobody is confused about duties during the emergency.

Be Detailed And Specific
Finding a generic server room air conditioning emergency plan on the internet, printing it out and slapping it into the IT department manual isn’t a solution. When the emergency comes, you’ll find many of the steps don’t apply to your organization while others are vague. Even companies that create their own plans often don’t put enough detail, leaving staff bewildered during an emergency.

For example, one common step is to shut down non-essential equipment. Which pieces of equipment are non-essential? One company might be able to shut down the email server for the day and find it merely an inconvenience, while another company might be completely unable to operate without email access. You can be sure that if you leave it to the day of the emergency, time will be wasted as IT personnel argue over which servers are essential.

Plan For The Worst
Part of your heat emergency plan is to lease spot coolers to keep critical systems running. Then, on the hottest day of the year, your overstressed server room air conditioning shuts down. You quickly find out that half the companies in the city are facing the same emergency, and all the portable air conditioning in town has already been leased out. Now what? A better idea is to buy your own portable air conditioning so it will be ready at a few minutes’ notice. It costs a little more up front, but far less than the lost business from shut down servers.

These are the kinds of contingencies to consider when creating your server room air conditioning emergency procedures. A good plan takes time and effort, but you will appreciate the work done when your servers keep running without interruption after a major cooling failure.