Posted: January 31, 2015

If you own or work at an office with computers or servers, it’s likely you’ve realized how much heat they give off.  In fact, most computers are equipped with a small fan which helps to dissipate the intense heat so as not to burn the house or office down. Thinking back to your ninth grade physical science class, you may recall that heat is just another form of energy….energy we waste a lot of when it comes to computers. 

Someone in the Seattle area recently must’ve wondered what would happen if they actually harnessed all that wasted energy from computers and computer servers because there is a new energy plan being developed for Amazon’s skyscraper campus in Seattle, Washington.  Amazon’s Data Center is pushing for a design wherein the excess heat from the Data Center (servers) will be used to heat the neighboring Amazon office buildings. It is estimated that this will save about 80 million kWh over the next 25 years. Based on today’s energy costs, that works out to roughly $7.7 million in savings. Now THAT’S thinking outside the box!
I am using wishful thinking and am hoping Amazon passes those savings on to its customers!