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LIMITED QUANTITIES, BE HURRY – HEAT PUMPS AT DISCOUNT PRICES!
LIMITED QUANTITIES, BE HURRY – HEAT PUMPS AT DISCOUNT PRICES!
When a property's cooling needs go beyond individual rooms or spaces and become a centralized system serving the entire building, a water chiller, more commonly known as a "chiller," comes into play. This device is not just part of the building services; it is the vital backbone of large commercial properties, hotels, hospitals, industrial plants, and data centers, ensuring continuity of operations and optimal conditions.
In our main article cooling solutions We created an overview of the different technologies. In this in-depth guide, we focus on the world of water chillers and reveal their role as the most efficient cooling solution for demanding applications. Alongside traditional, air-cooled models, we also present an elegant special solution – water-cooled chillers – that enable efficient cooling even in applications where a traditional outdoor unit is not suitable.
A water chiller is at its best when the cooling need is continuous or widespread and when the property's architecture, sound requirements or energy strategy do not allow for dozens of small room-specific devices. The result is a consistent indoor climate, controlled maintenance and transparent energy monitoring, which is directly reflected in occupancy rates, square meter rents and life cycle costs.
Expert perspective: This article was written by Ville Nieminen, Technical Planning Director at Renewe. His core expertise, with over 15 years of experience, is the strategic design of building services systems for large commercial and residential properties, where each component serves the property's value development and lifecycle efficiency.
The basic principle of a water chiller is to centrally produce cold water (typically +7/12 °C) and pump it through an insulated pipe network to different parts of the property. This chilled water is fed to heat exchangers on site, which can be:
The biggest advantage of the system is its flexibility and scalability. One centralized, efficient and easily maintained unit can serve dozens or hundreds of individual cooling sites.
When a water chiller collects heat from the water circulating within a building, this heat must be removed. The way this is done divides the devices into two main types:
1. Air-cooled water chiller (Air-Cooled Chiller) This is the most common type. The unit has large fans that blow outside air through the condenser coil, transferring the collected heat directly to the outside air. These units are typically installed on the roof of a building or in a technical space in the yard where there is free air circulation. They are simpler to install and are self-contained units.
2. Water-cooled water chiller (Water-Cooled Chiller) – Architectural Salvation Sometimes installing an outdoor unit is not possible. The reason may be the protected facade of the building, zoning regulations, noise restrictions or lack of space. In such cases, a water-cooled system is the solution.
In a water-cooled model, heat is not transferred to the air, but to water. The device is connected to a separate water circuit, which can be, for example:
A particularly elegant solution to this is ParkairWater-cooled chillers without an outdoor unit, such as the . These compact units can be placed completely hidden, for example in a cabinet or technical room. They are the perfect solution for architecturally demanding projects where the appearance of the facade cannot be changed.
A water chiller is a strategic investment that offers significant advantages over distributed systems.
Utilization of waste heat: As industrial heat pumps In connection with this, we learned that the condensation heat produced by a water cooler is valuable energy that can be recovered and utilized in heating a property.
Energy efficiency and life cycle costs: Large, centralized units are typically more energy efficient than dozens of small, stand-alone units. Their maintenance is centralized and predictable, which reduces life-cycle costs.
Reliability and verifiability: In critical locations, such as hospitals or data centers, the system can be designed to be fully redundant (certified), ensuring 100% operational reliability.
In office buildings, a centralized water chiller reduces maintenance visits by 75% compared to decentralized systems. In a 10,000m² building, this means an annual saving of 15,000-20,000€ in maintenance costs alone. The energy efficiency is 30-40% better than in VRF systems, saving 25,000-35,000€ per year.
In hotels, remote monitoring and predictive maintenance of water coolers reduce customer complaints 90%. Room-specific temperature control with fan coils increases customer satisfaction from 85% to 95%. RevPAR (revenue per available room) increases by an average of 8-12%.
In hospitals and laboratories, a redundant water chiller system guarantees 99.99% operational reliability. Uninterrupted cooling of critical spaces, such as operating rooms and drug stores, is a lifeline. Free cooling saves 100,000-200,000€ per year in large hospitals.
One of the smartest ways to cut energy costs in large properties is to utilize free cooling. It is a feature of modern water chiller systems that is as if created for the Finnish climate. When the outdoor temperature drops low enough – typically below +10 °C, i.e. for a significant part of the year – the system can bypass the water chiller's most energy-consuming compressors. In this case, cooling the cooling water is handled almost exclusively by the cool outdoor air, and energy is consumed only for the operation of pumps and fans. The end result is a saving of up to 70–90 % in cooling energy costs throughout the cold season, which dramatically improves the payback period of the investment and makes the system exceptionally economical to operate.
The right water chiller is an investment that pays for itself in improved productivity, reduced operating costs, and stable property value. Renewe's experts will help you design the cooling package that best suits your needs.
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What is the typical payback period (ROI) for a water chiller system in a commercial property? The payback period depends entirely on the energy demand of the site and how efficiently waste heat can be utilized. In cooling-only operation, the ROI consists of energy efficiency and reliability. When the system is combined with waste heat recovery, which replaces purchased energy (e.g. district heating), the payback period can be shortened dramatically, often to 3–7 years.
How does the maintenance of an air-cooled and water-cooled unit differ? The most important maintenance measure for an air-cooled unit is regular cleaning of the outdoor unit's coil from airborne dirt and debris. In a water-cooled system, maintenance focuses on ensuring the quality of the water circuit: filtering the water, monitoring the flow, and maintaining the cleanliness of the heat exchangers. In indoor units, traditional air filter cleaning, generally every 1-2 months. Both require regular professional inspection of the refrigerant circuit and compressors.
When should I definitely consider a water-cooled solution instead of a traditional one? A water-cooled solution is the right choice when one or more of the following conditions are met: 1) The building facade is protected or its appearance must not be affected. 2) Planning regulations or lack of space prevent the installation of a large outdoor unit. 3) The noise requirements of the site are extremely strict. 4) The property can be connected to an existing energy-efficient water circuit, such as a district cooling network or a geothermal system.
Can a water cooler be connected to a solar power system? Yes, and this is a very profitable combination. The cooling demand is highest during the day, when also solar energy production is at its peak. A 500kW water chiller consumes approx. 150kW of electricity. 200kWp solar panels cover 40-60% of annual cooling electricity. The additional investment cost of 150,000€ will pay for itself in 5-7 years.
What kind of cost savings can be achieved with free cooling? Concrete calculation, a data center with a continuous cooling requirement of 200 kW, every hour of the year (8760 h).
This shows how free cooling is an absolutely critical feature in Finnish conditions, which can halve the energy costs of cooling and make the investment pay back very quickly.
