Continuing a trend of blog posts on the many uses of resistance temperature sensors, we recalled a story of a past client who was having difficulty with a water chiller system. After just months of ownership at his company’s new location, the building’s energy usage was following an upward trend.

As one might imagine, moving a business can be quite a costly venture, and this client was beginning to panic, having already spent so much within the past year.  He had to find a solution to the energy consumption problem.  With some help, the issue was traced back to the water chilling system.  Something wasn’t right.

Sensors are often the first components checked on systems like these.  They do have a shorter lifespan than some of the other parts that go into making chillers operate efficiently.  Sure enough, the client was facing a faulty sensor.  Without realizing, he was spending hundreds of dollars in excess each month, because the sensor was giving faulty readings and, therefore, not properly controlling flow rates of the chilled water in the system.

More chilled water was being produced than was necessary.  The single sensor was causing the chiller to work harder than was actually needed.  That means more energy usage, higher bills, but also more burden on the system.  It was obvious that something had to be done to correct the problem.

Fortunately, Ultra Electronics Spring Loaded RTD temperature sensors are an affordable and worthwhile investment for clients like this.  With the sensor installed in the existing system, the energy expenditures fell back in line with what had originally been budgeted and this client could rest easier knowing that the system wasn’t being overly taxed.

If you are noticing high energy bills month after month, before you panic and replace the whole system, take a look at the temperature sensors on your systems.  It may be the case that only a new sensor is necessary to prolong the life of your boilers and chillers.