SEATTLE — Optimum Energy, a provider of HVAC energy optimization for enterprise facilities, has introduced its Predictive Free Cooling software module, which is an add-on to its OptiCx Platform. The company said Predictive Free Cooling eliminates the guesswork for building operators who want to use free cooling — also known as water-side economizing — in order to reduce overall energy consumption in chiller plant systems.

“Predictive Free Cooling is a feature that delivers data-driven insight into the availability of free cooling windows, using accurate weather forecasting and real-time information from the chiller system,” said Ian Dempster, senior director of product innovation of Optimum Energy. “This new feature can be automated and is configurable to your building systems’ unique needs, so that building operators can reduce their energy use by using free cooling windows with confidence.”

Predictive Free Cooling works by taking weather forecast data and communicating with OptimumLOOP to inform building operators that free cooling is available. This process can occur automatically, with OptimumLOOP triggering free cooling mode on and off without operator intervention — the choice is up to the customer. Predictive Free Cooling is configurable, based on site-specific needs, to allow for both the outside air wet bulb threshold and the minimum free cooling window period to be adjusted. Monthly reports provide visibility into past free cooling hours available, free cooling hours activated, and free cooling hours missed.

Predictive Free Cooling is accessible via OptiCx Tune, Optimum Energy’s web app for intelligent plant management. Subscribers using the Predictive Free Cooling feature have the opportunity to further reduce their energy consumption and improve the efficiency of their cooling systems.

For more information about the Predictive Free Cooling software module, click here.

For more information about Optimum Energy, visit www.optimumenergyco.com.

Publication date: 6/23/2014

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