With Daikin Service's chiller optimization program, everything old is new again—and even more energy efficient.

Northbridge Park Co-op, a luxury 14-story co-op in Fort Lee, New Jersey, had a dilemma common to buildings 30 or more years old. Being financially and environmentally responsible, the facility management team at Northbridge Park wanted to change-out the refrigerant in its 30-year old Daikin dual compressor chiller. The chiller itself ran efficiently, but the refrigerant it used—R-500—was being phased out.

Since 1996, CFC refrigerants such as R-500 and R-12 are no longer produced in the United States because of their ozone depletion potential. As the supply of these refrigerants has dwindled, their price has correspondingly increased. Replacing chillers that use R-500 with new chillers that use ozone friendly refrigerants is both a responsible and cost-effective solution. For Northbridge Park, however, the size constraints of the mechanical room, doors and hallways, and any resulting construction costs, meant replacing their current Daikin dual compressor chiller would not be financially feasible.

As long-term maintenance customers of Daikin Service, the management team at Northbridge Park naturally turned to Daikin Service for answers. After evaluating the system, Daikin Service representatives realized the 500-ton chiller would be an ideal candidate for chiller optimization and conversion to a non-CFC refrigerant.

The goals of a chiller optimization program are to enhance the chiller's energy efficiency, extend its operating life and improve its reliability. In order to achieve those goals, Daikin Service rebuilt the dual compressor chiller from the ground up using advanced impellers designed to maintain cooling capacity without significantly increasing energy usage.