www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 25
Feature
York chillers now come with connected capabilities, enabling remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and performance optimisation.“ You can log in from anywhere in the world to check system status, detect faults early and even adjust operations,” says Deale. This not only minimises downtime but also helps reduce energy consumption by ensuring the system is running at optimal efficiency.
“ One of our most recent launches was the YORK model YVAM. It is an air-cooled magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller that is specifically designed for hyperscale and colocation data centre applications.”
York chillers also support low-GWP refrigerants, helping customers comply with tightening international regulations. Deale explains that refrigerants like R513B, R1234ze, R1233zd and R515B are already available across York’ s product lines. Natural refrigerants like R290 and ammonia are also available in our chillers, which is perhaps going to be a growing requirement in future.
CHILLERS CORE TO SA’ S COOLING MARKET South Africa’ s cooling market is shifting rapidly, with demand for chillers rising across data centres, mining, industrial processes and commercial buildings. According to Levi Bands, director of Service First, a Trane distributor, chillers are increasingly central to conversations around efficiency, sustainability, and digitalisation.
“ Different sectors are expanding at different rates, but chillers are the common denominator,” says Bands.
In data centres, the surge in artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented cooling loads, making high-performance chillers indispensable. Mining is also fuelling demand, both locally and across Africa, as projects for gold, platinum and copper operations grow.
Even the commercial market, which slowed during the COVID years, is rebounding.“ Office refurbishments and upgrades are coming back, and hotels are finally replacing and upgrading chiller systems after years of deferring maintenance. Across all these sectors, chillers are the backbone of climate control,” Bands notes.
A STRATEGY BUILT AROUND CHILLERS Service First’ s strategy is clear: expand the installed base of Trane chillers while tailoring solutions to sector-specific needs.
“ We’ re focusing strongly on mining and data centres, where chiller requirements are both mission-critical and growing. At the same time, we’ re broadening our approach – integrating chillers with other HVAC technologies, like VRF, to give clients the best possible balance of performance and efficiency,” explains Bands.
Trane’ s global EcoWise portfolio – featuring Sintesis aircooled chillers with next-generation refrigerants like R-513A and R-1234ze, and CenTraVac water-cooled chillers with ultralow-GWP options such as R-514A and R-1233zd – is reshaping the market.
“ These chillers are being well received in South Africa. Efficiency and sustainability are no longer secondary – they’ re drivers. Clients want chillers that comply with upcoming refrigerant phase-outs and that deliver lower lifecycle costs,” says Bands. The phase-out of HFCs means chillers are at the forefront of regulatory compliance.“ Factories are already moving away from HFC-based chillers. If you specify a chiller today with an old refrigerant, you may struggle with supply and servicing in the future,” he cautions. Obsolete refrigerants may become unavailable or prohibitively expensive.“ If you’ re putting in a chiller today, it must be future-ready. Otherwise, you’ re locking yourself into higher costs down the line.”
Chillers are also becoming smarter. With Trane’ s Tracer Ensemble and Symbio controllers, remote monitoring and predictive diagnostics are now part of chiller management, says Bands.
“ Refrigerant management also remains a technical and environmental hurdle.”
“ Having remote oversight of chiller performance allows us to identify issues early, optimise efficiency, and avoid unnecessary downtime. This is especially important for chillers installed in
Supplied by Carrier
AquaForce variable-speed, air-cooled screw chiller 30XV.
www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 25