It would be unbearable to remain productive in large buildings without air conditioning to lower the temperature inside the buildings. However, running air conditioners comes with a high price tag; not only do they consume lots of energy, but they also have negative consequences for the environment. There are more modern and sustainable solutions available, such as centralised cooling systems and district cooling.
Are district cooling or other centralised cooling systems enough, though? Cooling as a Service (CaaS), which is now becoming more popular, uses data to provide efficient cooling and could be a better alternative than others.
Cooling as a Service (CaaS) in simple terms
CaaS, or Cooling as a Service, is a type of service where the client pays CaaS providers for cooling but not for the equipment itself. The provider owns, installs and maintains the cooling system in the client’s building.
The primary benefit of CaaS is that the providers utilize technology to monitor and control systems continuously. They check and record the vital performance metrics of the cooling system constantly. The owners of buildings can see all collected data easily, so making decisions based on data about how much energy and cost they need for cooling their buildings becomes a breeze.
How does the cooling work?
CaaS providers use a chilled water system to lower temperatures inside their clients’ buildings. In a nutshell, the cold water absorbs heat from the interior air. Then, the system circulates the air back to the plant. The system will cool and recirculate the air back into the building. The CaaS provider monitors the cooling system of the building on a regular basis to guarantee it is functioning effectively. They may make modifications to improve performance and save energy by recognizing how well the system is operating.
The types of buildings that opt for CaaS
Large buildings such as data centers, office towers, shopping centres and hospitals will find CaaS a very beneficial form of cooling. These types of buildings often have a high demand for cooling and require great amounts of energy to maintain a comfortable environment. By utilizing CaaS, these building can reduce their energy consumption significantly while still providing the same level of comfort.
Is there more to CaaS than reduced energy consumption?
Not only is there increased energy efficiency, but building owners also spend no capital expenditure on the typical district cooling or other centralised cooling system contracts. This means that they only pay for the services as they use them rather than owning and maintaining a costly cooling system. Consequently, this frees up money, which can be reinvested into other areas of the business or used to hire staff in different departments.
CaaS is also easily scalable. If a building requires more cooling, the CaaS provider can simply add capacity to the system.
The bottom line is
CaaS is a cooling solution that uses data to improve efficiency and save energy. CaaS providers use technologies to monitor and control systems in real-time, understanding how the system is performing. By identifying opportunities for improvement, they can make adjustments to enhance performance while saving energy. Beyond being an efficient solution, CaaS is also scalable and cost-effective: making it ideal for businesses like large data centers, office towers and shopping malls.
