Smart Chiller Procurement: Why NPLV Matters More Than Full-Load COP

Don’t Just Look at Full-Load COP — Focus on NPLV

When you select a chiller for a building, it’s tempting to go by the full-load COP printed on the brochures. But here’s the reality: a chiller rarely runs at full load. In most chilled-water plants — especially in buildings with multiple chillers — the system runs at part load or low load about 70–90 % of the time.

Because of that, NPLV becomes the true measure of a chiller’s real-world performance. NPLV is the “city-mileage” of a chiller, reflecting how efficient the unit is under usual conditions, not just optimum ones.