Why are thermoaccumulation systems used in large air conditioning systems?

With the increase in the cost of electric energy and due to the fact that the sources of hydroelectric generation, our main energy resource, are being depleted or increasingly distant from the consumption centers, began to implement in the country a differentiated charging in the times of greater energy consumption. This measure aims at a better utilization of the capacity of the plants that have practically operated in the limit of generation in the peak and idle hours in the other periods. Currently, electric utilities are charging a higher price in just three hours a day, but like other countries, this period will tend to be broadened. In one building, the air conditioning system is one of the biggest responsible for the consumption of electricity and a proper design can greatly reduce the electricity bill at the end of the month. The thermo-accumulation does not lead to a lower energy consumption. The reduction of the cost of electric power is achieved with the reduction in the power of the substation and due to a transfer in the production schedule of the cold, of the peak hours, where the tariff is higher, producing and storing cold at night when the energy is cheapest. Another fact that favors the use of thermo-accumulation is that it provides a reduction in installed power. The thermal load required in most air conditioning plants is variable, due to the fact that the sunshine load and the occupation of the environments are also variable. In a conventional air conditioning system, the capacity has to be based on the time of greatest heat load, which consequently makes the equipment oversized and idle most of the time. In thermo-accumulation, the equipment with a capacity lower than the capacity of the peak time can be dimensioned, the difference being completed by the burning of the thermal energy accumulated at another time. With this, it is possible to obtain facilities with smaller power and, consequently, smaller substations and smaller contracted demands of electric energy.