> I suggested simply measure the current and voltage applied to the room
> to determine power consumed (and average over some time) and this will
> be the heat/energy that needs to be removed.  (Unless there are cables
> that transfer the power out of the room)
> 
> My collegues indicated that not all the power consumed by the
> processors and other hardware is converted into heat.  The energy is
> converted into work done by the processor.

This kind of thing realy annoys me. Although there might be a legitimate 
academic argument here - this is _not_ an academic problem, it's a matter 
of common sense. In the real world there are far to many unconstrained 
variables to install a system that can only remove exactly the same amount 
of heat the system produces. Even with perfect information, good
engineering practice demands a "safety factor" as well as considering 
the possibilities for future expansion, 50-100% excess capacity is not 
an unreasonable number for such an application. With such a tolerance, 
your P=IV approximation is certainly accurate enough for this application.

-Denny


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