Swapping fixed-speed AC fans for electronically commutated variable-speed equivalents — with real-time controls to match airflow to actual demand — delivered a 70% reduction in cooling energy consumption at Acciona's corporate headquarters data centre in Madrid. Vertiv announced the results of the completed project today, noting a projected three-year payback with no operational disruption during installation.
The modernisation project replaced existing cooling units that had operated reliably for more than a decade with upgraded EC fans integrated with Vertiv Liebert iCOM controls. Rather than replacing the infrastructure entirely, Vertiv assessed the existing cooling assets and identified upgrades capable of delivering material efficiency gains from within the current footprint.
The installation was staged using the site's existing N+1 redundancy to allow continuous operation throughout the work. Before committing to a full upgrade, Vertiv and Acciona validated the approach on two pilot units to confirm the projected energy savings held in practice.
Beyond the energy reduction, the project freed up cooling capacity and available power within the data centre — headroom that Acciona can use for future IT expansion without requiring major capital investment in additional infrastructure.
"We would like to thank the entire Vertiv team for the excellent management of this project. We are very satisfied with the improved energy efficiency and the freed-up capacity, all delivered with minimal disruption and no downtime," said Carlos García Fernández, director of engineering and processes at Acciona.
The project illustrates an increasingly common calculation in enterprise data centre management: whether upgrading ageing but functional cooling infrastructure delivers better economics than wholesale replacement. At 70% energy reduction from a fan and controls upgrade alone, the case in this instance appears clear.
