--- title: How does a chiller work? description: The laws of thermodynamics tell us that heat will always move from hotter to colder areas. But the outside air, where the heat is to be dissipated, is often hotter than the air on the inside. How then, does a chiller work? image: https://blog.swegon.com/hubfs/Dafe/chillerwork.png --- [![](https://www.swegon.com/Static/img/logo.svg?v=3)](https://www.swegon.com/uk/) Menu - [Solutions & services](https://www.swegon.com/uk/solutions-and-services/) - [Products>](https://www.swegon.com/uk/products/) - [References & Insights](https://www.swegon.com/uk/references-and-insights/) - [Support & Software](https://www.swegon.com/uk/support/) - [Sustainability](https://www.swegon.com/uk/sustainability/) - [Why Swegon?](https://www.swegon.com/uk/why-swegon/) - [Product Search](https://www.swegon.com/uk/product-search-result/) - [Document Search](https://www.swegon.com/uk/support/find-documents/) - [Careers](https://www.swegon.com/uk/careers/) - United Kingdom - [Contact](https://www.swegon.com/uk/contact/) ## Choose a market [Or visit our global site](https://www.swegon.com) - [Belgium - French](https://www.swegon.com/fr-be/) - [Belgium - Dutch](https://www.swegon.com/nl-be/) - [Denmark](https://www.swegon.com/da/) - [Finland](https://www.swegon.com/fi/) - [France](https://www.swegon.com/fr/) - [Italy](https://www.swegon.com/it/) - [Germany](https://www.swegon.com/de/) - [Norway](https://www.swegon.com/no/) - [Poland](https://www.swegon.com/pl/) - [Spain](https://www.swegon.com/es/) - [Sweden](https://www.swegon.com/sv/) - [Switzerland - German](https://www.swegon.com/de-ch/) - [Switzerland - French](https://www.swegon.com/fr-ch/) - [Switzerland - Italian](https://www.swegon.com/it-ch/) - [United Kingdom](https://www.swegon.com/uk/) - [United States](https://www.swegonnorthamerica.com) - [Canada](http://swegonnorthamerica.com/) Explore ## Filter articles ### By topics - [Cooling & Heating (40)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/cooling-heating) - [Indoor Climate Knowledge (22)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/indoor-climate-knowledge) - [Air Handling Units (20)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/air-handling-units) - [Smoke and Fire Dampers (19)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/smoke-and-fire-dampers) - [Room Units (18)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/room-units) - [Indoor Climate Knowledge (15)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/indoor-climate-knowledge) - [Energy Efficiency (13)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/energy-efficiency) - [News (13)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/news) - [Tips and Advice (13)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/tips-and-advice) - [sustainability (13)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/sustainability) - [Knowledge (11)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/knowledge) - [Ventilation (10)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/ventilation) - [Energy Efficiency (8)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/energy-efficiency) - [Service (7)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/service) - [Guide (5)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/guide) - [Humidity (5)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/humidity) - [Heat pumps (3)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/heat-pumps) - [BIM (2)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/bim) - [Diffusion (2)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/diffusion) - [Services & Connectivity (2)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/services-connectivity) - [acoustics (2)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/tag/acoustics) > Fler ### By authors - [![Ajeeb Mohammed](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_20230113_160922.jpg?width=75&name=IMG_20230113_160922.jpg) Ajeeb Mohammed 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/ajeeb-mohammed) - [![Alberto Ferrandi](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ferrandi.png?width=75&name=ferrandi.png) Alberto Ferrandi 5](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/alberto-ferrandi) - [![Alberto Frison](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/alberto.jpg?width=75&name=alberto.jpg) Alberto Frison 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/alberto-frison) - [![Alessandro Lora](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/lora.webp?width=75&name=lora.webp) Alessandro Lora 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/alessandro-lora) - [![Alessandro Lora](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/lora.webp?width=75&name=lora.webp) Alessandro Lora 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/alessandro-lora) - [![Alessandro Pinato](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/alessandro.png?width=75&name=alessandro.png) Alessandro Pinato 7](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/alessandro-pinato) - [![Anders de Maré](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/anders%20de%20mare_1-1.jpg?width=75&name=anders%20de%20mare_1-1.jpg) Anders de Maré 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/anders-de-maré) - [![Andreas Örje Wellstam](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Finland%20News/Kampanjat,%20uutiskirjeet/Andreas%20%C3%96rje%20Wellstam_S.jpg?width=75&name=Andreas%20%C3%96rje%20Wellstam_S.jpg) Andreas Örje Wellstam 5](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/andreas-örje-wellstam) - [![Andrew Collard](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Andrew%20Collard_edited.jpg?width=75&name=Andrew%20Collard_edited.jpg) Andrew Collard 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/andrew-collard) - [![Andy Bott](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/me.jpg?width=75&name=me.jpg) Andy Bott 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/andy-bott) - [![Andy Dines](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Swegon%20UKI/20260519_095206.jpg?width=75&name=20260519_095206.jpg) Andy Dines 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/andy-dines) - [![Börje Lehrman](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/SE-SV%20-%20PRO%20-%20BACV/B%C3%B6rje_Lehrman.jpg?width=75&name=B%C3%B6rje_Lehrman.jpg) Börje Lehrman 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/börje-lehrman-1) - [![Carinne Grandjean](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/carinneg.webp?width=75&name=carinneg.webp) Carinne Grandjean 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/carinne-grandjean) - [![Carl-Ola Danielsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/1494416201_4f37bc2792.jpg?width=75&name=1494416201_4f37bc2792.jpg) Carl-Ola Danielsson 3](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/carl-ola-danielsson) - [![Carl-Ola Danielsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Carl%20Ola%20Danielsson.png?width=75&name=Carl%20Ola%20Danielsson.png) Carl-Ola Danielsson 3](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/carl-ola-danielsson) - [![Caroline Jacobsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Caroline%20Jacobsson.jpg?width=75&name=Caroline%20Jacobsson.jpg) Caroline Jacobsson 13](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/caroline-jacobsson) - [![Caroline Jacobsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Caroline%20Jacobsson.jpg?width=75&name=Caroline%20Jacobsson.jpg) Caroline Jacobsson 13](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/caroline-jacobsson) - [![Christoffer Lindström](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Christoffer_blogg.png?width=75&name=Christoffer_blogg.png) Christoffer Lindström 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/christoffer-lindström) - [![Dan Jones](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/dan_jones.jpg?width=75&name=dan_jones.jpg) Dan Jones 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/dan-jones) - [![Darren Peel](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Darren.jpg?width=75&name=Darren.jpg) Darren Peel 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/darren-peel) - [![Dave Harding](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/dave_harding.jpg?width=75&name=dave_harding.jpg) Dave Harding 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/david-harding) - [![Dene Kent](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Dene%20Kent%20Swegon.jpg?width=75&name=Dene%20Kent%20Swegon.jpg) Dene Kent 6](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/dene-kent) - [![Elvis Kokot](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/elviskokot.png?width=75&name=elviskokot.png) Elvis Kokot 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/elvis-kokot) - [![Fabio Polo](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Fabio%20Polo-1.jpg?width=75&name=Fabio%20Polo-1.jpg) Fabio Polo 7](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/fabio-polo) - [![Fabio Polo](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Fabio%20Polo-1.jpg?width=75&name=Fabio%20Polo-1.jpg) Fabio Polo 7](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/fabio-polo) - [![Federica Serena](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Serena.webp?width=75&name=Serena.webp) Federica Serena 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/federica-serena) - [![Francesco Artusi](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Francesco%20Artusi%20CUT.jpg?width=75&name=Francesco%20Artusi%20CUT.jpg) Francesco Artusi 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/francesco-artusi) - [Frank Schönfelder 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/frank-schönfelder) - [![François Jouvray](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Fran%C3%A7ois%20Jouvray%20swegon.jpg?width=75&name=Fran%C3%A7ois%20Jouvray%20swegon.jpg) François Jouvray 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/françois-jouvray) - [![Hannah Finning](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Image%20(5).jpg?width=75&name=Image%20(5).jpg) Hannah Finning 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/hannah-finning) - [![James Moore](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/download.jpg?width=75&name=download.jpg) James Moore 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/james-moore) - [![Jan Scheuring](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Photo_Jan-1.jpeg?width=75&name=Photo_Jan-1.jpeg) Jan Scheuring 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/jan-scheuring) - [![Jim Collings](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Swegon%20UKI/Jim%20Collings.jpeg?width=75&name=Jim%20Collings.jpeg) Jim Collings 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/jim-collings) - [![John Lindblom](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/johnl.png?width=75&name=johnl.png) John Lindblom 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/john-lindblom) - [![John Wibrand](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/John%20Wibrand.jpg?width=75&name=John%20Wibrand.jpg) John Wibrand 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/john-wibrand) - [![John Wibrand](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/John%20Wibrand.jpg?width=75&name=John%20Wibrand.jpg) John Wibrand 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/john-wibrand) - [![Josh Emerson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Josh_Emerson_Headshot.jpg?width=75&name=Josh_Emerson_Headshot.jpg) Josh Emerson 4](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/josh-emerson) - [![Josh Emerson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Josh_Emerson_Headshot.jpg?width=75&name=Josh_Emerson_Headshot.jpg) Josh Emerson 4](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/josh-emerson) - [![Luca Filippetto](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Luca%20Filippetto%20Hubspot.jpg?width=75&name=Luca%20Filippetto%20Hubspot.jpg) Luca Filippetto 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/luca-filippetto) - [![Luca Zordan](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/lucazordan.png?width=75&name=lucazordan.png) Luca Zordan 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/luca-zordan-1) - [![Magnus Andersson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/magnus%20andersson_550x550%20(1).jpg?width=75&name=magnus%20andersson_550x550%20(1).jpg) Magnus Andersson 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/magnus-andersson) - [![Malin Höij](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/malinh.webp?width=75&name=malinh.webp) Malin Höij 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/malin-höij) - [![Malin Höij](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/malinh.webp?width=75&name=malinh.webp) Malin Höij 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/malin-höij) - [![Markku Palola](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Markku_Palola_50x83.jpg?width=75&name=Markku_Palola_50x83.jpg) Markku Palola 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/markku-palola) - [![Markus Schomaker](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Swegon%20UKI/Markus%20Schomaker.jpg?width=75&name=Markus%20Schomaker.jpg) Markus Schomaker 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/markus-schomaker) - [![Martin Brady](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/1569580194632.jpg?width=75&name=1569580194632.jpg) Martin Brady 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/martin-brady) - [![Martin Ottersten](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Martin_Ottersten.jpg?width=75&name=Martin_Ottersten.jpg) Martin Ottersten 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/martin-ottersten) - [![Martin Ottersten](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Martin_Ottersten.jpg?width=75&name=Martin_Ottersten.jpg) Martin Ottersten 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/martin-ottersten) - [![Martin Procter](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MP.jpg?width=75&name=MP.jpg) Martin Procter 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/martin-procter) - [![Michael Ward](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Michael_Ward_photo.jpg?width=75&name=Michael_Ward_photo.jpg) Michael Ward 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/michael-ward) - [![Mikael Börjesson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Mikael%20B%C3%B6rjesson.jpg?width=75&name=Mikael%20B%C3%B6rjesson.jpg) Mikael Börjesson 10](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/mikael-börjesson) - [![Mikael Börjesson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/Mikael%20B%C3%B6rjesson.jpg?width=75&name=Mikael%20B%C3%B6rjesson.jpg) Mikael Börjesson 10](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/mikael-börjesson) - [![Mike Ward](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Michael_Ward_photo.jpg?width=75&name=Michael_Ward_photo.jpg) Mike Ward 4](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/mike-ward) - [![Mirko Sauvan](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Swegon_Mirko%20Sauvan_web_3.jpg?width=75&name=Swegon_Mirko%20Sauvan_web_3.jpg) Mirko Sauvan 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/mirko-sauvan-1) - [![Morten von Sydow](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Morten.jpg?width=75&name=Morten.jpg) Morten von Sydow 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/morten-von-sydow) - [![Niklas Jacobsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/authorniklas.png?width=75&name=authorniklas.png) Niklas Jacobsson 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/niklas-jacobsson) - [![Owen Crawford](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/0%20(1).jpg?width=75&name=0%20(1).jpg) Owen Crawford 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/owen-crawford) - [![Paola Moschini (Guest author)](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/forfattare.png?width=75&name=forfattare.png) Paola Moschini (Guest author) 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/paola-moschini) - [![Paolo Dalle Fratte](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Paolo%20profile%20image.jpg?width=75&name=Paolo%20profile%20image.jpg) Paolo Dalle Fratte 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/paolo-dalle-fratte) - [![Per-Åke Ottemark](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/1521139778203.jpg?width=75&name=1521139778203.jpg) Per-Åke Ottemark 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/per-âke-ottemark) - [![Peter Faruqi Nicholas](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Peter%20Faruqi.jpg?width=75&name=Peter%20Faruqi.jpg) Peter Faruqi Nicholas 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/peter-faruqi-nicholas) - [![Philip Andersson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Philip_Andersson_pressbild_small_webb.jpg?width=75&name=Philip_Andersson_pressbild_small_webb.jpg) Philip Andersson 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/philip-andersson) - [![Robert Flaherty](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/RF%20photo.jpg?width=75&name=RF%20photo.jpg) Robert Flaherty 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/robert-flaherty) - [![Robert Siverby](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MicrosoftTeams-image%20(3)-4.png?width=75&name=MicrosoftTeams-image%20(3)-4.png) Robert Siverby 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/robert-siverby) - [![Ryan Fossey](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Swegon%20UKI/Personal%20photo%201.jpg?width=75&name=Personal%20photo%201.jpg) Ryan Fossey 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/ryan-fossey) - [![Shannon Jezzard](https://blog.swegon.com/hubfs/1564654168812.jfif) Shannon Jezzard 3](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/shannon-jezzard) - [![Stefan Lay](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/1517033472060.jpg?width=75&name=1517033472060.jpg) Stefan Lay 6](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/stefan-lay) - [![Steve Gore](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/1516820800199.jpg?width=75&name=1516820800199.jpg) Steve Gore 10](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/steve-gore) - [![Swegon](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedinSwegonlogo-1.jpg?width=75&name=LinkedinSwegonlogo-1.jpg) Swegon 10](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/swegon-0) - [Swegon Air Academy 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/swegon-air-academy) - [Eur Ing Professor Tim Dwyer 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/tim-dwyer) - [![Timo Schreck](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Timo%20Schreck.jpg?width=75&name=Timo%20Schreck.jpg) Timo Schreck 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/timo-schreck) - [![Tobias Nordström](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TobiasNordstromPHOTO.jpg?width=75&name=TobiasNordstromPHOTO.jpg) Tobias Nordström 2](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/tobias-nordström) - [![Toby Young](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Image2.jpeg?width=75&name=Image2.jpeg) Toby Young 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/toby-young) - [![Tony Olsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Tony%20Olsson.webp?width=75&name=Tony%20Olsson.webp) Tony Olsson 5](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/tony-olsson) - [![Tony Olsson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Tony%20Olsson.webp?width=75&name=Tony%20Olsson.webp) Tony Olsson 5](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/tony-olsson) - [![Tony Pettersson](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/tonyp.jpg?width=75&name=tonyp.jpg) Tony Pettersson 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/tony-pettersson) - [![Welat Han](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Welat%20Han.jpg?width=75&name=Welat%20Han.jpg) Welat Han 3](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/welat-han) - [![William Lawrance](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/William_lawrance.jpg?width=75&name=William_lawrance.jpg) William Lawrance 5](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/william-lawrance) - [![William Lawrance](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/SE-SV%20-%20PRO%20-%20BACV/William%20Lawrance.jpg?width=75&name=William%20Lawrance.jpg) William Lawrance 5](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/william-lawrance) - [![Åsa Norén-Lundh](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/A%CC%8Asa%20Nore%CC%81n-Lundh.webp?width=75&name=A%CC%8Asa%20Nore%CC%81n-Lundh.webp) Åsa Norén-Lundh 4](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/åsa-norén-lundh) - [![Åsa Norén-Lundh](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/SE-SV%20-%20PRO%20-%20BACV/%C3%85sa%20Nor%C3%A9n-Lundh.png?width=75&name=%C3%85sa%20Nor%C3%A9n-Lundh.png) Åsa Norén-Lundh 4](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/åsa-norén-lundh) - [![Åsa Norén-Lundh](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AsaLN.jpg?width=75&name=AsaLN.jpg) Åsa Norén-Lundh 1](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/åsa-norén-lundh-1) Explore - - - [All About Indoor Climate](https://blog.swegon.com/uk?hsLang=en-gb) Subscribe Share - - - Explore Share Subscribe [« go back](https://blog.swegon.com/uk) # How does a chiller work? [Fabio Polo](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/fabio-polo) Sep 10, 2020 **The laws of thermodynamics tell us that heat will always move from hotter to colder areas. But the outside air, where the heat is to be dissipated, is often hotter than the air on the inside. How then, does a chiller work?** The purpose of a chiller is to cool down a fluid, which in turn can be used to cool down other things; for example the air in an air conditioning unit, or servers and other equipment. ![chillerbackground](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/chillerbackground.png?width=1250&name=chillerbackground.png) The water in the chiller is looped through an evaporator, giving up heat to a refrigerant in a separate loop. A refrigerant is a substance with particular properties; specifically it has to have a boiling point that can be manipulated by pressure changes to match the temperature of the water the chiller needs to produce. The refrigerant evaporates, becoming gas while subtracting heat from the water in the process. The refrigerant is then led through a compressor, a component in the chiller which increases the pressure of the refrigerant. This is the trick that allows chillers to move heat from cooler to hotter areas: the increased pressure raises the boiling point of the refrigerant, so that it will become liquid again at a temperature that is higher than the one in the outside environment. [![schema-pac-en-e700](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/schema-pac-en-e700.jpg?width=918&name=schema-pac-en-e700.jpg)](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ADAC_Gebaeude_800x600.png?hsLang=en-gb)The refrigerant in its gas form is then led through a condenser, giving up heat as it becomes liquid. The heat is dissipated to the external air or to a source of water, in the case of a water cooled chiller. Next, the refrigerant is led through an expansion valve, which lowers the pressure, allowing the refrigerant to be looped again to the evaporator. And round and round it goes. In order for this process to work the chiller needs energy to run the compressor. Also, the air and all liquids need to be moving, through the use of pumps and fans.     - - - [![Fabio Polo](https://blog.swegon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Fabio%20Polo-1.jpg?width=200&name=Fabio%20Polo-1.jpg)](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/fabio-polo) [Fabio Polo](https://blog.swegon.com/uk/author/fabio-polo) At Swegon Fabio Polo is Head of Strategic Product Management within the cooling and heating business. Fabio has deep knowledge about cooling and heating solutions dedicated to space heating, and he is passionate about energy savings and whole system optimization - both within Swegon and the industry as a whole. ## Recommended reading Get updates from the blog directly to your inbox. #### Get to know us - [Why Swegon?](https://www.swegon.com/uk/why-swegon/) - [Solutions & services](https://www.swegon.com/uk/solutions-and-services/) - [Products](https://www.swegon.com/uk/products/) - [References & Insights](https://www.swegon.com/uk/references-and-insights/) - [Support & Software](https://www.swegon.com/uk/support/) - [BlueBox Chiller ERP](http://www.blueboxcooling.com/) - [Sustainability](https://www.swegon.com/uk/sustainability/) #### More Swegon - [About us](https://www.swegon.com/uk/about-swegon/) - [Our Brands](https://www.swegon.com/uk/about-swegon/our-brands/) - [Contact](https://www.swegon.com/uk/contact/) - [Careers](https://www.swegon.com/uk/careers/) - [Information for suppliers](https://www.swegon.com/uk/contact/suppliers/) - [Swegon Designer Suite](https://sds.swegon.com/) - [Swegon Air Academy](https://www.swegonairacademy.com/en/) #### Subscribe to our blog [![](https://www.swegon.com/siteassets/logos/swegon-logo-white.svg)](https://www.swegon.com/uk/) Swegon Ltd, 5 Charterpoint Way, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire LE65 1NF - [Privacy statement](https://www.swegon.com/uk/privacy-policy/) - [Cookies](https://www.swegon.com/uk/cookies/) - [Processing personal data](https://www.swegon.com/uk/privacy-policy/processing-personal-data/) - [Vulnerability disclosure policy](https://www.swegon.com/uk/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/) - [![Youtube](https://www.swegon.com/Static/img/youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/user/SwegonAB) - [![Linkedin](https://www.swegon.com/Static/img/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/swegon-ab/) - [![Facebook](https://www.swegon.com/Static/img/facebook.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/swegongroup)