The Phoenix Convention Center consists of three buildings, amassing more than one million square feet of meeting and event space. So, it’s natural one might wonder, how in the desert summers does the facility stay both cool and sustainable? The answer lies just a few floors below ground level: a chilled water plant.
The innovative cooling plant was installed in 2006 as part of the Convention Center’s expansion effort. The cutting-edge system created and managed in partnership with the City of Phoenix by Cordia Energy offers four miles of chilled water pipes. Drawing from potable water, it works like a giant icebox, chilling water to ice overnight and then melting it during the day. This ice-cold water is then circulated to provide refreshing air conditioning to the convention center, ensuring events can go on seamlessly—no matter the temperature outside.
This cooling system regulates the temperature of all the Convention Center's facilities and plays a vital role in downtown Phoenix, providing service to 44 additional buildings in the central business district.
And it's not just about comfort; it's about sustainability too. With a reliability record of 99.99% since its inception, this system is a model of efficiency. By leveraging energy-efficient practices and environmentally friendly technologies, it's helping to cool Arizona's largest central business district while keeping costs down and reducing energy consumption.
“As recipients, we have the autonomy to regulate the flow of chilled water into our cooling system according to our needs,” said Sustainability Coordinator Sarah Bentley. “This centralized energy production method diminishes our carbon footprint compared to on-site cooling, which necessitates constant energy consumption to maintain water temperature, as opposed to leveraging natural ice melting for chilled water production.”
The water plant is just under 3rd Street between the West and North buildings at the Convention Center, and even without event activity in the building you can barely hear it hum from inside the facility’s walls—or out on the street.
“The Phoenix Convention Center and City of Phoenix have a commitment to sustainable excellence and this partnership with Cordia Energy highlights that,” said Assistant Director Bob Fingerman.