Chilled water

Chilled water is a commodity often used to cool a building's air and equipment, especially in situations where many individual rooms must be controlled separately, such as a hotel.

[4] The chilled water, having absorbed heat from the air, is sent via return lines back to the utility facility, where the process described in the previous section occurs.

[3] Utility supplied chilled water has been used successfully since the 1960s in many cities, and technological advances in the equipment, controls and trenchless installation have increased efficiency and lowered costs.

The use of utility supplied chilled water is most cost effective when it is designed into the building's infrastructure or when chiller/cooling tower equipment must be replaced.

[3] Water can also be chilled at night, where electricity is available at off-peak rates, then stored in a large, insulated tank until needed, the next day, for cooling.