This new chiller simulation module being developed by Building Performance Assurance Project members will help building managers compare optimal and actual chiller efficiency.
Chillers are the single largest energy consumers in commercial buildings.
These machines create peaks in electric power consumption, typically during summer afternoons. Satisfying the peak demand caused by chillers forces utilities to build new power plants. Thus, to utilities, chillers are more costly to serve than other loads. The phase-out of CFC refrigerants, intended to protect the ozone layer under an international agreement, has triggered an unprecedented wave of chiller replacements that will accelerate during the next 10 years. Energy-efficiency measures implemented in conjunction with chiller retrofits can reduce the load and therefore the required chiller size, making the change more economical overall.