A.
TECHNICAL COMPARISON OF VARIOUS AIR CONDITIOINING SYSTEMS
SL. NO. CHILLED WATER FAN SYSTEM
Capex is less and low
1. maintenance cost.
Single point of maintenance,
easily accessible as the cooling
2. plant is at one location
No roof mounted units which
is aesthetically pleasing.
3.
Power consumption for AC
system for each Chalet is very
low as there are indoor fan
4. coil units only.
Environmental friendly as
there is no chance of
5. refrigerant leaks as water is
the cooling medium.
Chilled water system can
be sized for the
instantaneous peak heat
6. load and thus diversity in
the total cooling load is
possible.
Redundancy is possible as
7. there are multiple
Chillers & Pumps
Longer life expectancy, usually
8. up to 25 years if well
maintained.
VRF SYSTEM
Capex is comparatively less
and higher maintenance
cost.
Require individual
attention which need
access to each Chalet as
the outdoor unit will be on
the chalet roof.
Multiple outdoor units on
roof, which will affect the
aesthetic view of the
building or should be
placed in a yard away from
the building.
Power consumption will be
very high due to individual
DX outdoor units, as a
result the cost of electrical
cables & control systems
will go high and require
maintenance as well.
Chances of refrigerant
leaks which will affect the
ambiance.
Rooftop out units must
be sized for the peak
load of the areas they
serve and therefore,
cannot consider
diversity.
Redundancy is practically
impossible.
Shorter life expectancy,
maximum 10 to 15 years.
DX SPLIT SYSTEM
Capex is less and higher
maintenance cost.
Require individual
attention which need
access to each Chalet as
the outdoor unit will be
on the chalet roof.
Multiple outdoor units
on roof, which will affect
the aesthetic view of the
building.
Power consumption will
be very high due to
individual DX outdoor
units, as a result the cost
of electrical cables &
control systems will go
high and require
maintenance as well.
Chances of refrigerant
leaks which will affect
the ambiance.
Rooftop out units
must be sized for the
peak load of the areas
they serve and
therefore, cannot
consider diversity.
Shorter life expectancy,
maximum 10 to 15
years.
B. COST COMPARISON OF VARIOUS AIR CONDITIOINING SYSTEMS

CHALETS (Complete Development)

CHILLED WATER SYSTEM.

1. Technical details:

Total Cooling load : 268 Tons

No. of Indoor Units required : 134 nos.

Capacity for each room (Approx.) : 2.0 Tons

2. Cost details for equipment:

Fan coil Unit : RO. 254 / Unit

No. of Indoor Units required : 134 nos.

Valves & Accessories (PICV) : RO. 85 / pc.

Chiller : RO. 50,000

Chilled water leak detection system : RO. 10,000

3. Cost details for underground Pre-insulated pipe works:

Pipe Size Approximate Length

(Supply & Return) (supply & Return) Cost / meter length Total cost
(m)
32 dia. 100 34 3400
40 dia. 160 39 6240
50 dia. 184 43 7912
65 dia. 276 48 13248
80 dia. 452 50 22600
100 dia. 200 60 12000
150 dia. 144 65 9360
Grand Total - RO. 74,760/-

Therefore,

Installation cost for the underground chilled water pipes - RO. 74,760/-

Therefore,

Total cost for the chilled water system : (134x254) + (134x85) + 50,000 + 10,000 + 74,760

: RO. 180,186.000
 VRF SYSTEM

1. Technical details:

Total Cooling load required : 268 Tons

Capacity of one VRV unit : 14 Tons.

Total No. of VRV required : 19 nos.

No. of Indoor Units required : 134 nos.

Capacity for each room (Approx.) : 2.0 Tons

Total refrigerant pipes run : 800 m (Approx.)

2. Cost details:

Fan coil Unit : RO. 407 / Unit

Total No. of VRV required : 19 nos.

VRF Unit : RO. 4000 / Unit

Refnet (Branch kit) : RO. 80 / Unit

Underground VRF Pipes with R410a refr. : RO. 10 / Meter.

Note: Cost includes copper pipe, suction & discharge, 19 mm insulation, Cora cloth, vapour
barrier, Communication cable wire and CRC remote wire and Pressure testing.

Therefore,

Total cost for the DX VRF system : (134x407) + (19x4000) + (134 x 80) + (800x10)

: RO. 149,258.000

DX SPLIT SYSTEM

1. Technical details - Chalet (Complete Development)

Total Cooling load required : 268 Tons

No. of Indoor & Outdoor Units required : 134 nos.

2. Cost details:

Cost for Indoor & Outdoor Unit : 574 OMR. / Unit

Therefore, Total cost for the DX Split systems : (134x574)

: RO. 76,916.000
C. CONCLUSION

It is understood from the above stated techno-commercial comparisons that the DX Split system
and the VRF system are simple in terms of initial capital cost, installation and the operational
point of view, but these systems are expensive in terms of power consumption and equipment’s
life span. However, one of these options (VRF or DX Split) may be chosen for the Chalets’ air
conditioning, if the initial expenditure for the project is a serious concern.

It is also understood that the chilled water system would be the cheapest solution amongst the
three options, considering the reduced power consumption, protection for the environment,
providing aesthetics for the building and finally the longer life span of the equipment and the
system.

D. RECOMMENDATION

Though the capital cost for the chilled water systems is relatively high in the beginning,
considering the savings on the cost of energy and the cost for replacing the VRF / DX Split
systems after their operational life, we recommend going for the chilled water system for the
Chalets air conditioning in order to ensure sustainability in designs and aesthetics which is also
crucial in the building designs.