Plant Utilities worked example

Chiller Utilization at 54% target chiller utilization: a worked example

Suppose target chiller utilization falls to 54%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Measure chiller utilization against installed tons and a target load range for capacity and reliability planning.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Average chiller load: 620 tons (held at the documented default)
  • Installed chiller capacity: 900 tons (held at the documented default)
  • Target chiller utilization: 54 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 75)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Chiller Utilization = average chiller load ÷ available chiller capacity × 100.
  • Chiller Utilization rate works out to 68.89 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gap to target works out to -14.89 points at these inputs.
  • Measured load or hours works out to 620 value at these inputs.
  • Available capacity or hours works out to 900 value at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target chiller utilization sits at 75% and the headline result is 68.89 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 68.89 %.
  • It divides average chiller load by installed capacity to give a utilization percentage, then reports the point gap between that figure and your target loading. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Chiller Utilization rate: 68.89 % (headline result)
  • Gap to target: -14.89 points
  • Measured load or hours: 620 value
  • Available capacity or hours: 900 value

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Chiller Utilization calculator, set target chiller utilization to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.