Servers, storage and networking gear are often certified to run in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, and with that in mind many IT pros are becoming less stringent in setting temperature limits.

Servers and other equipment “can run much hotter than people allow,” Simonelli, the chief technical officer at the Schneider Electric-owned APC, said in a recent interview. “Many big data center operators are experienced with at close to 90 degrees [and with more humidity than is typically allowed]. That’s a big difference from 68.”

Simonelli's point isn’t exactly new. Google, which runs some of the country’s largest data centers, two years ago that found temperatures exceeding 100 degrees may not harm disk drives.

But new economic pressures are helping data center professionals realize the benefits of turning up the thermostat, Simonelli says. People are starting to realize they could save up to 50% of their energy budget just by changing the set point from 68 to 80 degrees, he says.

Going forward, “I think the words 'precision cooling' are going to take on a different meaning,” Simonelli says. “You’re going to see hotter data centers than you’ve ever seen before. You’re going to see more humid data centers than you’ve ever seen before.”