As businesses embrace environmental initiatives to combat climate change, facility managers and building operators are feeling pressure to increase building efficiency and reduce energy consumption and operating costs. “Free cooling,” the process of allowing the building load to bypass mechanical cooling and exchange its heat with lower temperature outdoor air, is an environmentally favorable approach that helps reduce operating costs. One emerging solution increasingly available in the marketplace is integrated water-side economizers mounted on air-cooled chillers.
These solutions are often referred to as “free cooling chillers” because the energy use is so low relative to mechanical cooling that it is almost negligible. While not truly “free,” such systems can offer significant energy savings in the correct application. There’s a catch; however, these aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions. These chillers perform differently depending on facility size and location, and effectively applying them into a facility requires understanding the key considerations for optimizing them in order to make integrated free cooling a viable solution.