Cooling energy

Cooling production

Utilitas produces cooling energy by using district cooling plants with water coolers, heat pumps, and free cooling, making it much more energy efficient than a local system. The efficiency of the district cooling system is increased by using various energy production options for the required cooling energy, which cannot be achieved via local cooling solutions due to lack of space, the size of the investment, or the insufficiency of the electrical power.

In the near future, Utilitas will produce most of its cooling energy from a seawater plant that uses the Gulf of Finland for free cooling, which will help to further increase the efficiency of the cooling system and reduce the use of primary energy.

Good to know

The goal of Utilitas is to build a district cooling system that connects the entire Tallinn city center area. This enables the creation of a strong synergy between district heating and district cooling and offers the clients a complete solution for both summer and winter periods. In addition, we can use the waste heat generated in the cooling process and send it directly to the district heating network.

Utilitas district cooling systems are awarded with efficient district cooling label

All Utilitas district cooling systems are efficient as per EU Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU. A district cooling network is efficient if it uses at least 50% renewable energy, 50% waste heat, 75% cogenerated heat, or 50% of a combination of such energy and heat.

The journey of district cooling to the building

In the district cooling plant, the water is cooled down to seven degrees and directed through the pipeline to the cooling substation in the client’s building.
There, with the help of heat exchangers the cold water cools the ventilation air of the building and water circulating in the cooling system.
The water that gave up the cold in the cooling process is returned to the district cooling station, where it is cooled again.