As an alternative to air conditioning units, district cooling plants (DCPs) have been built in many places. Large buildings can benefit from DCPs, including reduced energy consumption, emissions, and improved comfort. There are, however, some disadvantages of DCPs as well, including high capital, high maintenance expenses, and high operational costs.
Could district cooling be replaced with a better alternative?
It’s time to opt for Cooling as a Service
As an alternative to district cooling, Cooling as a Service (CaaS) has emerged in recent years. CaaS providers use chilled water systems to cool buildings. Energy-efficient, these systems use less energy than traditional cooling methods for large buildings.
Is CaaS a good option for building owners from an economic standpoint?
Clients purchase cooling on a pay-per-use basis from CaaS providers who will build, own and operate cooling plants for building owners. Clients only pay for the cooling they use, which makes CaaS a more flexible and economical option compared to district cooling.
Types of buildings to use Cooling as a Service
There are so many options for a building cooling system. If you manage a large facility that needs cooling, chilled water systems with CaaS could be the right option for you. For example, owners of office buildings, shopping malls, hotels, data centres, hospitals and educational institutions have all used CaaS successfully.
The advantages of cooling as a service over district cooling
The three primary benefits of CaaS in comparison to district cooling or centralised cooling system are that they have reduced initial costs, lower maintenance fees, and predictable operational expenditure.
CaaS eliminates the high up-front expenses associated with establishing a district cooling plant or signing a district cooling agreement. Clients only have to pay for cooling if they use it, and plants are generally built and owned by CaaS providers. This business model might be extremely appealing to consumers who don’t want to invest in a district cooling contract or own and operate their own cooling system.
By CaaS, customers are actually able to reduce maintenance expenses in the long run. This is because service providers take care of building repairs and maintenance as part of their service fees. In other words, availing CaaS can help avoid the costly repairs that usually come with district cooling plants–helping save big time!
Moreover, the CaaS business model can assist customers in estimating and supervising their operational expenditures. Since CaaS providers use data to offer proficient cooling, consumers can arrange for their cooling costs regularly. This could be a huge upside when compared to the traditional centralised cooling model, which is often expensive and unpredictable month-to-month.
Overall, the CaaS business model offers several advantages over conventional methods of cooling large buildings. CaaS might be a more cost-effective option for building owners who don’t want to spend money on a cooling system. Furthermore, by reducing maintenance expenditures and anticipating operational costs, customers can save money with CaaS. If you’re thinking of bringing a more efficient cooling system for your building, CaaS may be worth considering.
