A district cooling plant distributes chilled water from a central plant to individual buildings via a network of underground pipes. A single plant can meet the cooling needs of several buildings. It chills water to about 44° and delivers it to buildings, where it circulates through refrigeration coils. Fans cool a building's air by blowing it across the refrigeration coils.

Austin Energy installs and maintains the piping and heat exchangers that deliver the chilled water from a district cooling plant. If your building is within a few blocks of a plant's network, and if you use chilled water cooling or are considering an HVAC retrofit to chilled water, district cooling might be for you. Our Energy Products team can assess your building to determine if it is an appropriate candidate.

Austin’s District Energy and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant Systems

Downtown
Austin Energy’s District Cooling Downtown Plants are located at 3rd and San Antonio Streets and 5th and Sabine Streets. This 33,000 ton capable system provides chilled water to buildings including: Silicon Labs, Hobby Office, Plaza Lofts, Hilton Hotel, Hampton Hotel, Austin City Hall, Whole Foods Market, The Monarch, Austin 360 Condominiums, Courtyard by Marriot, Residence Inn by Marriot, The Shores, 515 Congress, The Austonian, Four Seasons Residences, AMLI High Rise, 5 Fifty Five Condos, and a mix of retail and restaurants along 2nd Street.

The District Cooling Downtown Plants feature the largest ice thermal storage system in Central Texas. It has ample capacity to meet future mission critical cooling requirements.

North/Central
The Domain District Cooling System is located in northwest Austin, along North MoPac (Loop 1) between Braker Lane and Burnet Road. It provides continuous cooling services to The Domain's tenants, serving a mix of retail, office, and residential customers.

The District Cooling System features the nation’s first packaged modular CHP plant to exhaust heat directly into an absorption chiller.

Mueller Energy Center
Featuring a CHP system, this innovative district cooling and heating center is on land newly redeveloped from Austin’s decommissioned Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. The Mueller Energy Center is among the most environmentally friendly energy systems in the world. It provides steam heating, chilled water cooling, and onsite electric production to Seton’s Dell Children’s Medical Center and nearby buildings. 

Benefit of District Cooling
Email us to learn more about the benefits of district cooling and potential future sites.

Major operational benefits
	Proven reliability
	Convenience and simplicity
	Mitigated risk
Cost benefits
	Substantially reduced initial capital investment
	Lower operational and energy expenses
	Stabilized and predictable long-term costs
Flexibility
	As much or as little cooling water as you need—no need to worry about limited plant capacity or personnel
Enhanced property value
	Increased effective space—no need for boilers and chillers
	Reduced noise and potential environmental hazards
	Improved comfort
	Increased net operating income for building