Here at Compass Fuel Oils, we are the UK’s leading fuel oil specialists, providing next day delivery across the UK. Red diesel is one of the most popular fuels we supply for agricultural machinery, industrial heating, and plant machinery. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about red diesel for data centres.
Different types of data centre
A data centre is a space where multiple servers are stored, providing security and storage for company and business networks. Different types of data centre can offer different amounts of guaranteed service time, and each can have anywhere from 10 to thousands of servers. As a result, data centres are split into tiers:
- Tier 1 – A basic level data centre with the guarantee of 99.671% availability. Many of the components will require downtime to the servers for maintenance.
- Tier 2 – This level of data centre offers an uptime of 99.741%. Components here can be removed and maintained without closing down the servers.
- Tier 3 – A tier 3 data centre offers uptime of 99.982% with dual-powered equipment
- Tier 4 – This is the highest level of data centre and offers uptime of 99.995%. This data centre requires independently dual-powered equipment including ventilation and cooling.
Red diesel is an important fuel used throughout data centres across a range of tiers, for different purposes.
Why do data centres use red diesel?
When you think of red diesel, you most likely think of agricultural and plant machinery. However, this can be a vital fuel for data centres too, where red diesel is used primarily for backup power. With guarantees of consistent uptime, it is essential that data centres never lose power. Red diesel can be an effective fuel for powering a back up generator, should this ever be necessary.
What are the advantages of red diesel for data centres?
There are a number of reasons why data centres choose red diesel for their back up generators, with advantages that include:
- Cheaper cost- red diesel is a tax rebated fuel that can cost significantly less than regular diesel or other types of fuel.
- Reliable supply- red diesel is easy to order and supply when you work with a professional team like us here at Compass Fuel Oils. This means that you can have your red diesel delivered in the right quantities, or in bulk, and this can be topped up when required. As a result, your data centre will not run out of fuel, even in the event of a power cut.
- Maintain power- even just a few minutes of server downtime can be incredibly costly to companies and businesses. Not only does any outage prevent work from continuing, slowing the movement of money and funds and disrupting any payments in progress, but this also can lead to a significant loss of data that can be difficult to restore. With a red diesel powered back up generator, this shouldnt be an issue.
For all your fuel oil needs, from storage tanks to red diesel deliveries, we are the team you can count on, here at Compass Fuel Oils.