OUCooling – A Hot Way to Keep Cool

A cold drink is likely the first thing to come to mind when most people hear the phrase “chilled water.” But to OUC, it’s a more innovative, reliable way to beat the heat.

Thanks to OUCooling, our chilled water program, building owners are enjoying lower A/C-related electric charges and reducing their capital and operational costs, too. This service enables commercial property owners to outsource the production of chilled water for their air-conditioning needs. But, how exactly does it work?

All buildings are air-conditioned by chilled water coils. Warm air is blown over the coils, cooling the air as it passes through. With OUCooling, equipment used to cool the water (cooling tower, pump and chiller equipment) is housed in one central facility.

Currently, OUC operates five chilled water plants that serve some of the hottest places in town, such as the Amway Center and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Underground “loops” run from each facility to buildings partnered with OUCooling.

In Parramore and downtown Orlando alone, about 10 miles of underground pipes have the capacity to deliver 15,000 tons of chilled water to businesses. That’s enough chilled water to cool about 6,000 residential homes.

At the facilities, water is cooled to 37 degrees and piped to participating buildings to cool them. The water is then recycled to its central facility to be cooled again before repeating the cycle.

Established in 1997, OUCooling’s first project was building a chilled water plant for Lockheed Martin in south Orange County. The following year, OUC constructed a “district cooling” plant in downtown Orlando to serve the growing and diverse commercial market there.