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​​ColdMAX  Cold or Hot Containment series, is refers to the various physical barriers used in addition to a hot aisle/cold aisle arrangement that further eliminate the mixing of cold ("supply") air and hot exhaust air. Containment structures lead to higher allowable temperatures in data centers. Higher temperatures save energy because fan speeds can be lowered, chilled water temperatures can be raised, and free cooling can be utilized more often.
ASHRAE revised their recommendations, stating that computer intake air could be as high as 80F/27C and air returning to air handlers could be as high as 95F/35C. This makes hot aisles slightly uncomfortable for people but it has no negative effect for computers since the exhaust air is effectively pulled back to air handler

 

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Savings and Costs
In data centers with hot/cold aisle arrangements, containment systems can reduce energy expense by 5% to 10%. Containment can reduce fan energy by 20% to 25% and deliver 20% energy savings from the chiller. We’re experience with containment retrofits indicated that typical paybacks can be less than two years.