Cooling is vital for our comfortable indoor environment and the regulation of temperatures in critical structures such as data centers and pharmaceutical factories. However, the cooling technology used also contributes to environmental harm. The World Green Building Council reports that heating, cooling, and lighting in buildings generate 28% of global CO2 emissions. In Singapore, buildings are a significant source of the country’s carbon emissions, accounting for over 20%.
With construction demand rising, a more efficient and environmentally friendly cooling solution is crucial. In the next 30 years, cooling demand is projected to triple. To meet this demand, building owners must adopt sustainable and smart cooling solutions, and Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) may offer a viable solution.
What is Cooling as a Service?
With Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS), building operators can now provide cooling in their buildings without having to bear the cost and maintenance of equipment. This business model, referred to as servitisation, enables building owners to attain more effective and eco-friendly cooling while also cutting operational expenses.
Building operators benefit from this model as they are relieved of the responsibility of the cooling system’s performance and maintenance, unlike in district cooling. The CaaS provider will select and supply the most suitable cooling system to meet sustainability goals and manage its upkeep. Moreover, building operators can conserve resources more easily due to the provider’s flexibility to reallocate equipment as needed. Building owners simply specify their desired temperature and pay for cooling on a pay-per-use basis, making it a simple and convenient solution.
How could CaaS bring a more sustainable cooling solution?
Achieving sustainability is a critical objective in today’s world, and Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) makes a major contribution to this goal. By utilizing big data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI), CaaS leverages advanced technology to enhance the efficiency of a building’s cooling system. This technology enables optimal indoor temperatures that can adapt to changing conditions, which is challenging to accomplish with conventional cooling systems like district cooling, which primarily focus on hardware utilization.
In addition, Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) provides a way to integrate renewable energy sources for a building cooling system, like solar power and recycled water, into the cooling system. Building owners have multiple eco-friendly options offered by CaaS providers: a water-cooled chiller plant system and a solar-powered cooling system. These choices offer building operators an efficient and effective way to meet their sustainability goals.
Exploring the advantages of Cooling-as-a-Service over traditional centralised cooling systems
The cost of owning and maintaining a traditional centralised cooling system can be overwhelming for building owners. The responsibility of purchasing, installing, and maintaining the system often involves multiple contractors, leading to accountability issues. The cost of implementing sustainability improvements to increase efficiency can also deter building owners from making these changes.
In conclusion
With the world facing increasing energy consumption and the impacts of climate change, it’s crucial to adopt eco-friendly cooling solutions. Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) offers a sustainable way to access innovative and efficient cooling systems, benefiting individuals, businesses, and the environment. The traditional cooling system consumes 10% of the world’s electricity and is projected to rise to 30% by 2040, contributing to the increase in energy consumption. By adopting CaaS, building owners can mitigate these effects and reduce their environmental impact.
