District Cooling

What is District Cooling?

District cooling is a modern, efficient way to air condition a network of buildings in cities or campuses. Central cooling plants house large, highly efficient, industrial-grade equipment that produces chilled water for supply to customer buildings through an insulated underground piping network. Cold supply water enters the building and flows through a heat exchanger, absorbing heat from the building space before recirculating back to the central plant through a closed loop return line. 

 

Why District Cooling?

In cities around the world, district cooling is integral energy infrastructure to reduce strain on the electric grid caused by increasing demands for air conditioning, which typically create 50%-70% of peak electricity demand. By aggregating the cooling need of a network of buildings, district cooling creates an economy of scale that drives efficiency, balances electric loads, and reduces fuel costs.

Aggregated cooling loads also make feasible creative technologies such as sustainable lake- or ocean water cooling, grey water recovery, treated sewage effluent, and thermal energy storage which reduce costs and environmental impact associated with air conditioning. Additionally, central plants skirt the sunk costs of oversized, individual chiller plants and the capital costs of installing chillers and cooling towers, freeing up valuable rooftop and building space.

 

District Cooling Best Practices Guide

BestPracticeGuideSmall.jpgRepresenting thousands of man-hours of compiled experience, the District Cooling Best Practice Guide is dedicated to the growth and utilization of district cooling as a means to enhance energy efficiency, to provide more sustainable and reliable energy infrastructure, and contribute to improving the global environment.

Text and illustrations provide practical insight and technical guidance on the "business" of designing, owning, and operating district cooling systems.

View the Table of Contents or order the District Cooling Best Practice Guide and apply best practices to your District Cooling project analysis and design!

 

 

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