TP24-11 Local Ban: Moratorium on Evaporative Cooling

In the face of extreme drought in certain parts of the southwestern United States, some state and local authorities have directed their attention to restricting and, in some cases, banning the use of evaporative cooling systems on future projects.  Within the last two years, authorities in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada have taken significant action in restricting the future use of evaporative cooling systems in the name of conservation. Proponents of the moratorium cite the severe drought involving the Colorado River which supplies ninety percent of the water to southern Nevada while hyperbolically urging that businesses should “convert water-guzzling evaporative cooling systems to mechanical air conditioning systems.” Environmentalists contend the use of mechanical cooling systems coupled with energy incentives provided by state energy providers will assist businesses in mitigating the financial disadvantages. Respondents have emphasized that dry-cooled systems are exponentially less efficient and are subject to insulation requirements that don’t apply to evaporatively cooled buildings. This publication will generally explore and broadly take a renewed analysis of the efficiency benefits of evaporative cooling compared to alternatively cooled systems.