How are sustainable cooling solutions evolving to meet the increasing demand for energy efficiency in both retrofit projects and new constructions?

Today, sustainability is not defined by energy efficiency alone. It is a balance between energy efficiency, water use, and life cycle carbon emissions. Everything we do at BAC, from the smallest improvements to the greatest leaps in innovation, serves our core purpose: “To continually advance truly sustainable cooling – inspired by nature, powered by our people – for a world that depends on it to grow, succeed, and thrive.”

To ensure we continue to drive sustainability in cooling solutions used in retrofit and new construction projects, we have developed products that meet our customers’ varied needs based on the availability of water, the required level of energy efficiency, and life cycle carbon emissions goals.  

We have a portfolio of sustainable solutions ranging from evaporative products, which save significant amounts of energy, to hybrid products, which optimize the use of energy and water, to dry coolers, which provide cooling with no water use at all. In addition, we strive to use the lowest embodied carbon materials and manufacturing methods to help building owners meet carbon reduction goals. As environmental and technological factors are constantly evolving, BAC continues to innovate, developing technologies like LOOP, an AI system optimization tool, to reduce electricity consumption.

We work closely with our customers on sustainability by acting as a partner on many types of projects to help our clients acquire sustainability certifications, such as earning LEED points and completing Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs).

As continued optimization of energy consumption is of critical importance to retrofit and new construction projects, BAC maintains a focus on what drives an impact for our customers: energy efficiency, water use, and life cycle carbon emissions.  

What are the key environmental benefits of implementing BAC's sustainable cooling options in existing buildings and new developments?

BAC is driven to serve our customers’ unique needs, which means developing sustainable cooling technology inspired by nature, powered by our people.

The biggest benefit of implementing BAC’s sustainable options is reducing the carbon footprint of the overall system. Our high-efficiency designs reduce energy use over traditional air-cooled equipment by as much as 50%, as compared to air-cooled chillers or large commercial split systems. This is achieved through our optimized designs and use of technology like BAC direct drives, which eliminate consumables such as gears, oil, and belts.

BAC’s sustainable solutions allow customers to eliminate the use of refrigerants with high-impact global warming properties. BAC’s cooling fluid is pure, natural water in evaporative products, which is a far superior option for sustainably focused clients than refrigerants.    

Additionally, our broad range of solutions leverage materials of construction such as Baltibond® hybrid coating and TriArmor® corrosion protection system. These materials increase the life of the equipment and reduce water treatment requirements due to the ability to run higher cycles of concentration. 

These are just some of the features our products offer to ensure sustainable cooling is at the core of our customers’ operation. Overall, sustainability is at the foundation of BAC’s strategy and vision: Reinventing cooling to sustain the world.

How do sustainable cooling technologies differ in their application to retrofit projects versus new construction, and what are the key maintenance considerations for ensuring their long-term efficiency?

As sustainability is critical regardless of the lifecycle stage of a property, BAC has sustainability at the core of our strategy and product innovation.

We have not only continuously improved the energy efficiency of our standard cooling tower products, but we have also developed hybrid and adiabatic products that maintain a high level of energy efficiency while significantly reducing water use. These units can replace existing units in retrofit projects to maintain or improve efficiency, while at the same time lowering the water use cost and environmental impact. 

In new construction, water-cooled systems are essential to meeting the high efficiency building requirements and net zero energy goals of many of our customers. In addition, BAC’s AI control system,  LOOP™, can be used to optimize the entire chilled water system.

What innovative technologies or design features does BAC incorporate to enhance water conservation in its cooling solutions?

It all starts with our high-efficiency heat exchanger coils designed and made by BAC. Next is the selection of high-efficiency fans and motors which ensure the lowest possible energy use while maintaining quiet operation. The energy that the tower uses has to be rejected through evaporation, so it starts with having the highest efficiency design for those components.   

Next, our high-performance fill ensures efficient heat rejection within a more compact footprint. For our adiabatic and hybrid equipment, the choice of spray nozzles, mesh pads, and cutting-edge control logic ensure that the heat load will be rejected with the minimal release of water. Additionally, our drift eliminators make sure only the amount of water vapor needed is released.

Finally, BAC’s AI control system, LOOP™, can be used to optimize the entire chilled water system. LOOP is a cloud-based machine-learning system which reduces cooling operating costs by up to 20% with real-time automated system optimization. 

BAC continuously invests in the future of the company as well as the future of the planet, and the innovation of our technology is no exception.

How do BAC's sustainable cooling options help building owners and operators meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations and sustainability goals?

BAC has driven compliance with environmental regulations for our customers by providing cooling solutions with improved energy efficiency, expanded water saving options, and increased power of intelligent controls to improve life cycle carbon emissions. 

Water-cooled systems have the highest efficiency, in some instances by a factor of two over air-cooled technologies, ensuring energy efficiency to meet regulations.

Secondly, some areas of the world experience water shortages and minimizing water usage is essential to environmental stewardship. BAC has several different cooling options that meet lower water use requirements, including completely dry options.  

Those customers who are interested in minimizing whole life carbon emissions for the building leverage BAC’s provided embodied and operating carbon emission calculations that can be used to achieve net zero carbon emission goals.

BAC also participates in the development of equipment performance standards through working groups in organizations like CTI, Eurovent, AHRI, AIRAH, and IIR, and for building performance standards, in organizations like ASHRAE and the International Organization of Standards (ISO), ensuring we are on the front lines of innovation for our clients.

What are the most critical maintenance practices for ensuring the longevity and optimal performance of cooling towers?

Performing routine maintenance is paramount for consistently achieving optimal performance and maximizing the life of the equipment. A preventative maintenance program should include the following components of a system: 

• Water distribution: The water distribution system’s role is to evenly distribute over the heat exchanger to cool the process fluid. If the heat exchanger is not fully wetted, system efficiency is sacrificed. 
• Collection basins: Innovative collection basin designs include a method to facilitate debris removal such as a sloped basin toward the strainer to ensure dirt does not accumulate. The basin should be kept clean through occasional flushing.
• Drives: The fan drive system has several components operating at high speed that should be checked regularly to ensure reliable, trouble-free operation.
• Water treatment: A good water treatment program should be established and administered.

Additionally, innovations with smart controls on hybrid products automate a daily cleaning cycle of the heat exchanger and the basin to reduce the frequency of preventative maintenance, effortlessly ensuring longevity and optimal performance of cooling towers.

How does proper maintenance of cooling towers contribute to overall system efficiency and sustainability in the long run?

Proper tower maintenance is essential to the performance of the entire chilled-water cooling system. A poorly maintained cooling tower results in higher energy use by the chiller, pumps, and fan-coil units in the building. Over the lifetime of the building, this can result in significantly more energy use and carbon emissions. In addition, poor tower maintenance can result in the premature replacement of all parts of the chilled-water system, including the tower.