The Ice Bear: Thermal storage for rooftop air conditioners

Book · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:55552

Houghton, D

The Ice Bear is an emerging thermal storage system for small (5 to 20 ton) rooftop air-conditioning equipment. Now in the pilot installation phase, the system provides partial or full load shifting, by building ice during off-peak hours. Moreover, independent testing shows that the system can operate more efficiently than conventional cooling equipment. Because it is the first thermal storage system designed for unitary air conditioners, it has the potential to fill a significant market gap and to dramatically improve the load shape for commercial air conditioning. Although its commercialization timetable is uncertain, growing interest in load management and broader application of time-of-use electricity pricing work in favor of this technology. Powell Energy Products, developer of the Ice Bear, may bring the product to market independently, or license it to a major manufacturer. One such manufacturer, Lennox Industries, has announced that it is developing a similar product. The economics of rooftop cool storage depends heavily on electricity rate structures. If manufacturer projections of mature market costs prove accurate, paybacks are likely to range from 3 to 5 years in areas with high demand charges or high differentials between off-peak and on-peak electricity prices.

• OSTI ID: 55552
• Resource Relation: Other Information: DN: Publication No. PP-95-2; PBD: 1995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR CONDITIONERS
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
DESIGN
COLD STORAGE
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
TIME-OF-USE PRICING
ELECTRIC POWER
PAYBACK PERIOD
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
FLEXIBILITY
HUMIDITY CONTROL
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA