Data Center Construction Costs Move Lower

It’s getting cheaper to build a data center, according to a study by Environmental Systems Design (ESD), which found that it costs less today to construct a new data center than it did in late 2007. The cost savings are attributed to lower prices for cabling, but ESD reported lower costs for labor and shipping as well. “Our analysis shows that for any company anticipating the need to build or expand a data there is currently a window of opportunity to realize considerable savings,” ESD President and CEO Raj Gupta told Building Design and Construction. Here’s an excerpt:

During the study period, ESD observed significant reductions in the costs of copper cabling (55%); feeder, both overall (55%) and for copper (48%); copper-based utility transformers (19%); and steel joists (18%). In contrast, ESD found that the price of UPS systems, HVAC equipment (i.e., CRAC units and chillers), pre-case tilt-up concrete building systems are stable; and the market for medium-voltage switchgear remains competitive, although prices have slightly dropped (4%).

The data is based on project estimates using contractor bids for a 60,000 square foot greenfield data center with 20,000 square feet of raised access floor area at a power density of 150 watts per square foot, and 10,000 sqaure feet of office space. Read the BD+C story for more details.