DCS brings a wide range of advantages, including financial savings, space efficiency, ESG contributions, improved aesthetics, enhanced reliability, flexibility, scalability, and economies of scale.

The initial advantage is financial savings. Buildings located in DCS zones can function without the need of individual cooling systems. This results in substantial savings on Capital investments, operational maintenance and labour costs associated with these equipment. With diligent monitoring and maintenance by skilled professionals, the overall system performance can be optimized, thereby reducing the life-cycle cost of DCS as well. From the perspective of DCS service providers, the integration of TES technology and cooling load aggregation plays a crucial role in generating both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) savings. The peak load shaving and shifting capability of TES along with cooling load aggregation allow for a lower chiller installed capacity in DCS compared to Conventional Cooling System CCS. This results in several cost savings:

• Savings in operating costs due to differences in peak and off-peak electric energy tariffs
• Savings in contracted capacity cost as DCS consistently utilizes less electric power compared to CCS, again due to load shaving and shifting
• Savings in maintenance cost due to the reduced chiller installed capacity
• Cost savings due to improvements in energy efficiency,

These combined benefits translate into financial savings for both DCS operators and end-users.

Dr Khin Zaw

(idea spark EN-SG)