Reliable commercial cooling for retail properties
October 31, 2017
Are you stressing over an aging rooftop air-conditioning system? You’re not alone. Research shows that only 11 percent of buildings meet thermal comfort standards. Building occupants are uncomfortable and energy costs are too high.
To address these issues, building owners are turning to packaged thermal energy storage systems. These cooling systems use a standard chiller and modular btu battery ice tanks to conserve energy during the utility’s most expensive periods. The commercial chiller based system lasts two to three times longer than old rooftop air-conditioning units and provides greater cost savings and redundancy. Plus shoppers get comfortable, fresh, crisp air.
Thermal energy storage works by using standard commercial cooling equipment (chillers) to store ice inside storage tanks during less expensive off-peak utility periods. The next day during expensive on peak utility periods the chillers can shut down and the ice melts to cool the building. Savings from the day/night arbitrage can reduce cooling costs in half. However there are even more savings to be had from thermal energy storage air-conditioning.
Seven Reasons to Choose Thermal Energy Storage
1. Location. With the chiller based thermal energy storage system the roof is no longer required to support as many as 50 huge air-conditioning packages. The roof can now be built to meet much less rigorous structural specifications. Thermal energy storage tanks can fit in basements, outside or buried.
2. Efficiency. Chiller based systems offer exceptional energy efficiency for green retailers with high performance goals. The roof temperatures can be much higher than the outside air, thus, in practical application, the rooftop units are much less efficient than their published ratings.
3. Flexibility. Add thermal energy storage, and the chiller plant has added flexibility to take advantage of changing rates or seasons and lower total cost of ownership.
4. Consider also maintenance costs. Whereas rooftop air-conditioning systems have a service life of 10 to 12 years, the thermal energy storage system has an anticipated lifespan of forty plus years. Centralized maintenance of chillers can be simpler and less expensive than dispersed rooftop air-conditioning pieces that are known for their need to be maintained. Exposed to the atmosphere, condensers are frequently contaminated and must be cleaned. If one of the packages were to become disabled, that would increase pressure and demand on the next package, thereby reducing its effectiveness and the overall efficiency of the system. This continuous process of cleaning is not only time consuming and costly, it puts technicians at risk as it exposes them to sweltering rooftop conditions.
"Reducing energy costs is a top priority for improving net margins."
Thermal Energy Storage, on the other hand, requires little maintenance. Should the equipment need maintenance, it is usually done quickly, at ground level. And, since the retailer’s installation is designed for redundancy, should one chiller require repair or maintenance, the other chiller and ice storage would assume full responsibility for cooling the building without disruption of service.
5. Refrigeration. Plus, the benefits of low temperature cooling when feasible from thermal energy storage systems 
offer a host of benefits to both food and non-food retailers alike. Thermal Energy Storage is a proven ice-based HVAC solution which offers a smart flexible way to help meet both refrigeration and HVAC needs. Thermal energy storage can help with reducing net operating expenses and greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants through a) low temperature design, b) sub-cooling refrigerants and c) phase change materials. Low temperature applications result in smaller fans, ductwork, pumps and pipes. The lower material costs offers huge competitive advantages to retailers while also providing better utility rates and better humidity control.
6. Sustainability. Thermal energy storage is a growing solution for storing renewable energy resources. Solar and wind energy can be stored in the form of ice for later use, taking retail off-grid.
7. Operating Costs. Lastly, as mentioned above, thermal energy storage saves tremendously on cooling costs. Most buildings owners do not understand commercial energy rates and how they are charged for electricity. Demand charges including capacity and transmission charges make up to 70% of the bill and are largely impacted by peak air-conditioning use.
Thermal energy storage – a smart alternative to traditional rooftop air-conditioning
Retailers are turning to thermal energy storage systems in light of the fact that energy is the fourth largest in-store operating cost for retailers, meaning reducing energy costs is a top priority for improving net margins. Rooftop air-conditioning units have long been used by the retail industry and are known for their cheap upfront costs. However, thermal energy storage is a competitive cooling solution for commercial retail properties that improves net margins by bringing cool long lasting savings to the cost savvy retailer.
So why settle for 10 years of lower quality solutions when an investment in a 40 year system can provide longer term savings and quick ROI with less hassle? Plus, advances in controls, the internet of things and packaged options have added reliability and more plug and play capabilities to today’s thermal energy storage systems. From shopping malls to furniture stores and big department or chain stores responsible management calls for long term thinking. Longer service life coupled with flexibility and lower operating costs is simply good business.
Thermal energy storage offers a more reliable alternative to warm, stale humid air from dated rooftop systems currently used by many retailers. For more details, contact CALMAC at www.calmac.com/contactus or take our quick air-conditioning survey.
