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Design-build firm McKinstry is remodeling a Eugene data center for Lane County.

Slightly less than $3 million is being invested to improve cooling systems and increase technological reliability. Energy savings are expected to be approximately $25,000 per year.

The project is part of an overall effort to improve energy efficiency of Lane County buildings, said Grant Wood, a program manager with McKinstry’s Portland office.

“This is the first project we evaluated with the county because we knew it was an energy hog,” he said.

The 4,000-square-foot data center was built in the 1970s and holds about 295 servers that store police records, taxation forms, budget documents, health care files and information about roads, construction and permitting. The center, part of the Lane County government offices in downtown Eugene, also houses data for the cities of Eugene and Springfield, the Lane Council of Governments and the Eugene Water & Electric Board.

McKinstry crews anticipate finishing work in October, Wood said. Lane County officials plan to move all servers back into the center by spring 2015.

One of the biggest improvements is the addition of self-contained air conditioning pods for the servers, Wood said. The pods will save energy by cooling only the servers instead of the entire room.

A system of pipes carrying cold water will help cool the pods. During cold-weather months, this water will be pumped through a new cooling tower and chilled by outside air, Wood said.

“You’re providing free cooling,” he said. “All you have is the energy to pump the water.”