Cooling

In commercial buildings, cooling energy use is second only to lighting energy use. As energy costs rise, energy efficiency grows in importance. There is considerable evidence suggesting that there are many opportunities for improving building energy use. A 1998 study by the Wisconsin Energy Center found that 81% of the owners surveyed encountered problems with new heating and air conditioning systems. With careful planning, these types of problems can be avoided.

The principal concern of the design engineer is to ensure that a building's cooling and heating systems are capable of providing comfort to the occupants under all conditions that may be reasonably anticipated. Most large buildings are designed to simultaneously provide cooling and heating, which are required during at least part of the year. The principal concern of the operator is to keep the occupants happy. While the current market is dominated by active compression cooling systems, you can improve the efficiency of your cooling system through the appropriate use of compressor-less cooling technologies and techniques for cooling occupied spaces more effectively and by reducing distribution system losses.

When considering your building's climate systems, you need to carefully identify and evaluate appropriate combinations of cooling and heating technologies, including more efficient distribution systems. Further, staying up-to-date with new products and innovations is a key aspect to managing your building's cooling systems.

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