Chilled water air conditioning systems, more commonly known as ‘chillers’ are a great choice for large commercial spaces like hospitals and schools. If you own a commercial property and you’re thinking about your future cooling needs, chilled water systems should definitely be on top of your list.
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some advantages and disadvantages of chilled water air conditioning systems so you can get the right cooling system for your commercial space.
Advantages
They Are Cost-Effective
Hands down, one of the greatest things about chilled water air conditioning systems is that they can reduce your energy costs by half, especially if they come with the latest high-efficiency equipment. Since water is known to be better at absorbing heat than air, chilled water systems are instantly better than air-cooled systems. Moreover, water is quite cheap and plentiful and you won’t need to use costly refrigerant lines to keep your space cool, so you’ll end up contributing to overall cost savings.
They Contribute to Indoor Air Quality
Air ducts keep indoor areas connected in a building and this can cause unpleasant odors and air pollutants to spread easily from one room to another. The great thing about these systems is that you have to install a separate air handling system in each air which prevents the spread of odors and pollutants. This leads to a significant improvement in indoor air quality.
They Operate at Much Quieter Levels
Another benefit is that they operate at quieter levels than traditional air-cooling systems. This is particularly ideal for buildings with sensitive environments like hospitals and fancy restaurants where noise could be very distracting and unhealthy for the occupants.
Disadvantages
They Come with Added Maintenance Needs
Because chilled water systems utilize water to transfer heat, this may expose the water to various conditions that can lead to scaling. Scaling, if you weren’t aware, is basically where deposits get accumulated on metal which can ultimately lead to corrosion. Corrosion can significantly affect the efficiency of your system.
To prevent scaling, the water that’s used in these systems needs to be treated first to remove impurities that can lead to scaling. This means that you’ll have to take care of additional maintenance needs and their respective costs as well.
They Aren’t Ideal for Places with Water Shortage
Needless to say, chilled water systems require a good amount of water to operate. This means they aren’t ideal for areas where there’s constant water shortage. If your company pays water costs, you can expect these costs to rise when you install a chilled water system.
They Aren’t as Effective in Humidity
Another important thing to note is that chilled water systems don’t work as effectively in humid environments. Higher levels of humidity lead to an increase in the wet-bulb temperature that indicates how efficiently water can absorb heat. This increase can result in lower comfort levels and increased operating costs.
If the levels of humidity get too high, the occupants may experience a cold and clammy feeling. Air-cooled systems work significantly better in humidity because they can extract moisture from air more efficiently.