How do I convert a chiller's coefficient of performance to kW/ton?

Divide 3.517 by the coefficient of performance. One ton of refrigeration is 12,000 Btu/hr, or 3.517 kW of heat removed, so a chiller rated at 5 draws 0.70 kW/ton.

What kW/ton should a chiller plant run at?

A North Carolina energy fact sheet flags plants running continuously above about 0.64 kW/ton with water-cooled condensers, or 1.2 kW/ton air-cooled, as needing improvement. High-efficiency chillers make chilled water below 0.50 kW/ton.

Why enter the measured temperature rise instead of the design value?

Because the tons, and so the cost, scale directly with it. At 120 gal/min, a jacket returning water 5 °F warmer than supply removes 25 tons, half what a 10 °F rise implies.

Does chilled water pump energy count?

Not in this kW/ton, which follows the fact sheet: chiller, condenser pump, tower fans and controls. Add the chilled water pump's kW × hours × electricity price if you want it in the batch cost.

Process Manufacturing calculator

Chilled Water Cost Calculator

Price the chilled water a jacket or exchanger uses during a batch step, and see whether your chiller's kW/ton needs attention. You need the loop flow, supply and return temperatures, hours, chiller kW/ton and your electricity bill.

What this calculator does

Chilled water cost for a cooling step from loop flow, temperature rise, hours, chiller kW/ton and your electricity price.

Formula used

Heat removed (Btu/hr) = flow (gal/min) × 8.34 lb/gal × 1 Btu/lb·°F × temperature rise (°F) × 60 min/hr
Cooling load (tons) = heat removed ÷ 12,000 Btu/hr per ton; cooling delivered (ton-hr) = tons × run time
Electricity used (kWh) = ton-hr × chiller efficiency (kW/ton)
Chilled water cost = kWh × electricity price; cost per ton-hr = kW/ton × electricity price
Cost per hour = tons × kW/ton × electricity price

Inputs explained

Chilled Water Flow: Flow through the jacket or exchanger, from the flow meter.
Chilled Water Temperature Rise: Return minus supply temperature at this load, averaged over the run.
Run Time: Hours chilled water flows to this load.
Chiller Efficiency: Chiller, condenser pump and tower fan kW per ton, from plant logs.
Electricity Price: Utility bill total divided by kWh billed.

How to use the result

Best suited to chilled water line on a batch standard cost, pricing a crystallizer or reactor cool-down, making the case for chiller service.
Chilled water pumps, water treatment and maintenance are outside kW/ton; add them to price the full utility. kW/ton is held constant; a real chiller's kW/ton shifts with load and condenser water temperature. Glycol mixtures carry less heat per gallon than water, so this overstates their load.

Current U.S. benchmarks

As of Jul 2026, industrial electricity averages 9.8 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA), up 4.7% from a year earlier. State averages range widely, so plants should confirm against their own tariff.
The producer price index for industrial chemicals stands at 336.006 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 13.3% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 14,543 chemical manufacturing establishments employing about 911,245 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do I convert a chiller's coefficient of performance to kW/ton? Divide 3.517 by the coefficient of performance. One ton of refrigeration is 12,000 Btu/hr, or 3.517 kW of heat removed, so a chiller rated at 5 draws 0.70 kW/ton.
What kW/ton should a chiller plant run at? A North Carolina energy fact sheet flags plants running continuously above about 0.64 kW/ton with water-cooled condensers, or 1.2 kW/ton air-cooled, as needing improvement. High-efficiency chillers make chilled water below 0.50 kW/ton.
Why enter the measured temperature rise instead of the design value? Because the tons, and so the cost, scale directly with it. At 120 gal/min, a jacket returning water 5 °F warmer than supply removes 25 tons, half what a 10 °F rise implies.
Does chilled water pump energy count? Not in this kW/ton, which follows the fact sheet: chiller, condenser pump, tower fans and controls. Add the chilled water pump's kW × hours × electricity price if you want it in the batch cost.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.