# How to Optimize Chillers
In order to save energy and money, you must optimize the chillers to run in the most efficient manner possible. This will allow these machines made of condensers, evaporators and compressors to run while reducing the energy consumed to less than 20 percent of the total energy being produced each year in the United States.
Instructions
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1
Check the age of the chillers being used. The life span is between 12 and 30 years for a chiller. If it is older than this, replacing the chiller with a new model will increase efficiency.
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Free-cool the chillers. This means opening up vents and windows in the chilled water plant when the weather is dry and cool. This allows the natural weather to cool the facility and chillers without having to run the electric-powered coolers. It will take several hours to equalize the temperature so that the powered coolers can be turned off. When the weather gets warm or if it gets humid, the powered coolers must be turned back on.
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Install two-speed motors onto your chillers. Most chillers run on one motor, allowing them to be set to only one speed, which will be higher than necessary at times because it is set to accommodate the highest demand. Installing two-speed motors onto the chillers will allow you to run them at a variable speed, depending on need instead of wasting energy to maintain a constant higher speed.
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Install variable-speed drives on the secondary chilled water loop. The secondary chilled water loop circulates water around the cooling coils in order to cool the chiller as a whole. Installing variable-speed drives onto this water loop allows you to vary the speed of the water that runs through the chiller to match the demand on the chiller.
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