Chillers, boilers and central plants
Selecting, arranging and operating the equipment at the heart of large HVAC systems. 15 guides.
- Boiler plant design and sequencing
Learn how boiler plants are sized, piped and staged, how condensing and non-condensing boilers differ in sequencing, and the controls that keep a plant efficient and safe.
- Central plant redundancy and N+1 design
Learn what redundancy terms like N+1 and 2N actually mean for a central plant, how to decide how much redundancy a building needs, and where single points of failure tend to hide.
- Chiller plant sequencing and optimization
Learn how chiller plant sequencing works, why staging on temperature alone wastes energy, and how resets and total plant optimization reduce kW per ton of delivered cooling.
- Chiller selection: efficiency, IPLV and part-load
Learn what chiller efficiency metrics mean, why most chillers spend their lives at part load, and how to compare selections at the conditions your plant will actually see.
- Chiller types: centrifugal, screw, scroll and absorption
Learn how the main chiller types differ in compressor technology, capacity range, part-load efficiency and maintenance, so you can narrow the options for a project.
- Combined heat and power for commercial facilities
Learn how a combined heat and power system generates electricity and useful heat on site, which facilities have the right load profile, and what to check before committing to one in a Canadian context.
- Condensing boilers: getting the efficiency you paid for
Learn how condensing boilers achieve high efficiency, why many installations never condense, and the system design, control and maintenance steps that let them deliver.
- Cooling tower selection and winter operation
Learn how cooling tower types compare, what drives selection, and the freeze protection and control strategies that let towers operate safely in cold Canadian weather.
- District energy connections for commercial buildings
Learn how a building connects to a district heating or cooling network, what the energy transfer station does, and which design decisions inside the building decide whether the connection performs.
- Heat recovery chillers
Learn how a heat recovery chiller works, which buildings benefit most, how to size it against simultaneous heating and cooling loads, and the piping and control details that make it pay off.
- Plant room layout and serviceability
Learn the layout principles that make a mechanical room easy to operate, maintain and eventually replace equipment in, along with the code requirements that shape chiller and boiler rooms in Canada.
- Refrigerant regulations and low-GWP options in Canada
Learn how federal regulations and the HFC phase-down affect HVAC equipment in Canada, which low-GWP refrigerants are replacing the old ones, and what owners should consider when buying or servicing equipment.
- Thermal energy storage: ice and chilled water
Learn how thermal energy storage works, the differences between ice and chilled water systems, and how utility rates, plant size and resilience goals decide whether it makes sense.
- Water-cooled vs air-cooled chillers
Learn how water-cooled and air-cooled chiller plants differ in efficiency, water use, space, maintenance and winter operation, and which factors usually decide the choice.
- Waterside economizers and free cooling in Canada
Learn how waterside economizers produce chilled water from cooling towers or dry coolers in cold weather, how to arrange and control them, and where they pay off in Canada.