Air Cooling System

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Greening Your Air Cooling System
If you’re looking to reduce energy costs in your building than greening your air cooling system is a great place to begin. Air cooling systems especially in older buildings with chillers are often oversized and inefficient. The good new is that new energy efficient air conditioners and chillers are now available. There are also innovative ways to reduce your cooling load by using equipment like new lights and computers that throw off less heat. A certified HVAC company can help you to green your air cooling system and chiller, which will not only save you on energy costs but also reduce the carbon foot print of your building.

Air Cooling System Chillers
Chillers are the part of the air cooling system that produces chilled water to cool air. The water is then distributed throughout the building by a system of pipes. There are two major types of chillers water-cooled and air-cooled. Water-cooled chillers use water to carry away heat from the condensers. The condensed water is cooled in a cooling tower. The condensers in air-cooled chillers use ambient air. In ...
... large buildings the air cooling system used to chill water can account for up to 35% of your electrical energy use. If you have an older chiller retrofitting a new more energy efficient one may be a wise investment. An experienced HVAC company can recommend one of the new “green” chillers.

Retrofitting a New Energy Efficient Chiller
If your air cooling system is more than ten years old have your HVAC company perform a life-cycle cost analysis to determine that a chiller retrofit would be cost effective. They’ll take into account the initial installation costs and maintenance as well the amount of energy cost savings you can expect. They may determine that a new chiller is needed and performance modifications to your existing chiller may be your best bet.

Timing is something to consider when adding a new chiller to your air cooling system. Lead times can be around six months for delivery. Try to coordinate the installation of your new chiller with other building modifications like retrofitting energy efficient lighting or glazing replacement. These modifications can help to reduce your cooling load and will allow you too save money by installing a smaller chiller. When choosing a chiller your HVAC company will compare part-load efficiencies to determine the most efficient one for your space. The most energy efficient chillers operate at full-load efficiencies of 0.50 kilowatts per ton (kW/ton) or more. This can produce a savings of 0.15 to 0.30 kW/ton over older chillers.

Energy Efficient Air Conditioners
Florida buildings usually have central air conditioning but if you’re using older room air conditioners you should consider an upgrade. Changing to new more energy efficiency air conditioners can reduce energy use in your building by 50%. When selecting an energy efficient air conditioner specify that you want an Energy Star unit. Energy efficient air conditioners that receive the Energy Star rating either meet or exceed the U.S. government’s highest standard for efficiency and can be at least 20% more efficient.

Whether you’re retrofitting a new green chiller or installing a new energy efficient air conditioner an experienced HVAC company can help you choose the air cooling system upgrade that will save you the most on energy.

Source
*Information on Energy Efficient Air Conditioners and Air Cooling System from the U.S. Department of Energy