Category · 2 calculators
Capacity & Spend
Compare colocation pricing models on like-for-like terms, and project when you run out of headroom.
Both calculations here are about money, and both are easy to get wrong by a five-figure margin. Colocation is priced per kilowatt or per rack, and which wins depends entirely on density; capacity projections compound, so the gap between “filling up” and “full” is far shorter than intuition suggests.
Where the usual mistakes are
You are billed on contracted power, not draw. Contract 5 kW per rack, average 3.5, and 30% of the power spend buys nothing. The honest comparison is cost per kilowatt actually consumed.
The crossover point is one division. Rack price divided by per-kW price gives the density where the two models meet. At $800 and $150 that is 5.33 kW — the most useful number to take into a negotiation.
The date capacity runs out is not the date to act. Procurement, lead times and commissioning add up to a year or more, and electrical gear is worse. If you hit 80% in nine months, you are already late.
The 2 capacity & spend calculators
- 01
Colocation Cost Calculator
Compare colocation pricing models by normalising $/kW/month and $/rack/month to true monthly and annual cost.
$150/kW/mo, 10 kW → $18k/yr
- 02
Capacity Growth Planner
Project when power, space or cooling capacity runs out based on current utilisation and compound growth rate.
64% + 12%/yr → 3.9 yr