Analysis of potential energy and cost savings of replacing air-cooled chillers with water-cooled chillers: A case study in hotel building in tropical climate

Selecting the type of chillers to be used in commercial buildings is critical considering their high energy consumption, which consequently requires the use of chillers with higher efficiency in order to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce their carbon footprint. Through a case study in a commercial resort, this research presents an energy consumption analysis of the replacement of air-cooled chillers with water-cooled chillers. The energy savings were calculated based on not only the simulation software but also the actual energy consumption data after the installation of the water-cooled chillers. The energy analysis indicated that the use of water-cooled chillers to substitute the air-cooled chillers in the resort resulted in energy saving of around 17.5% with a reduction of 2860 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emission per year. Meanwhile, the cost analysis showed that the life-cycle cost of the water-cooled chillers is around 13.4% less. These findings demonstrate the potential of using water-cooled chillers as a replacement for air-cooled chillers in existing commercial buildings to reduce energy consumption and its associated carbon emission without compromising the buildings’ indoor comfort. This option can be an appeal to building owners as it has some evident economic benefits.