From lecture halls and IT suites to office floors and boardrooms, chilled water air conditioning is at the heart of comfort and productivity in commercial and college buildings. But when chillers are forced to run in stop-start mode to meet fluctuating demand—particularly during mornings and late afternoons—the result is stress on systems, wasted energy, and rising costs.
O-Hx’s EnergiVault offers a smarter solution.
Rather than relying solely on chillers to react to demand spikes, EnergiVault stores cooling energy in advance—using lower-cost, off-peak electricity—and releases it during the day to support or even replace the chiller’s load during peak periods.
“Most chillers are sized to handle a full building load that rarely, if ever, occurs,” notes the O-Hx team. “That oversizing leads to short cycling, reduced system efficiency, and high maintenance requirements. EnergiVault breaks that cycle by smoothing the load.”
The benefits for commercial buildings and education campuses are significant:
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Reduces peak electricity costs and avoids grid stress during high-demand periods
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Eliminates chiller short cycling, extending equipment life and improving efficiency
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Supports low-carbon operations by shifting demand to lower-emission grid periods
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Improves comfort in teaching and workspaces by maintaining stable cooling
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Aligns with estate decarbonisation plans without major plant replacement
Whether retrofitted to existing systems or integrated into new building designs, EnergiVault offers a practical way for facilities managers to reduce running costs, extend chiller lifespan, and cut emissions—all without compromising performance.
