A recent analysis of data center operation is challenging the widely accepted belief that data centers need tight temperature and humidity control, a change that could translate into as much as a 63 percent savings on cooling energy for some data centers. Traditionally, the temperature and humidity levels within many data centers have been managed to the fairly narrow ranges dictated by historical practice and industry guidelines. This control was seen as necessary to prevent damage to the equipment for a variety of reasons. However, the study suggests that these concerns are unwarranted, and thus it is not necessary to maintain such tight control ranges. If these constraints are removed, it then becomes possible to rely more heavily on economizers for cooling.