Chilled water air conditioning systems, more commonly known as ‘chillers’, are an excellent choice for large commercial spaces such as hospitals and schools. If you own a commercial property and are thinking about your future cooling needs, chilled water systems should definitely be at the top of your list.

In this blog post, we will look at some advantages and disadvantages of cold water air conditioning systems so that you can get the right cooling system for your commercial space.

Advantage

Are profitable

Without a doubt, one of the best things about cold water air conditioning systems is that they can cut your energy costs in half, especially if they come with the latest high-efficiency equipment. Since water is known to absorb heat better than air, chilled water systems are instantly better than air-cooled systems. Plus, water is pretty cheap and plentiful and you won’t need to use expensive coolant lines to keep your space cool, so you’ll end up contributing to overall cost savings.

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 room to room. The best thing about these systems is that you need to install a separate air handling system in each air that 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-cooled systems. This is particularly ideal for buildings with sensitive environments such as hospitals and fancy restaurants where noise can be very distracting and detrimental to the occupants’ health.

Disadvantages

Come with additional maintenance needs

Since chilled water systems use water to transfer heat, this can expose the water to various conditions that can lead to scaling. Scale, if you didn’t know, is basically where deposits build up on the metal and can ultimately lead to corrosion. Corrosion can significantly affect the efficiency of your system.

To prevent scale formation, the water used in these systems must first be treated to remove impurities that can cause scale. This means that you will have to take care of the additional maintenance needs and their respective costs as well.

They are not ideal for places with a water shortage

It goes without saying that chilled water systems require a fair amount of water to function. This means that they are not ideal for areas where there is a constant shortage of water. If your business pays water costs, you can expect these costs to increase when you install a cold water system.

They are not as effective in humidity

Another important aspect to keep in mind is that chilled water systems do not work as effectively in humid environments. Higher humidity levels lead to an increase in wet bulb temperature which indicates how efficiently the water can absorb heat. This increase can result in lower levels of comfort and higher operating costs.

If humidity levels rise too high, occupants may experience a cold and damp sensation. Air-cooled systems perform significantly better with humidity because they can extract moisture from the air more efficiently.