Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions2022-11-16T14:11:23+04:00
What is District Cooling?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

District Cooling Provides chilled water from a cooling plant through a network of pipes to multiple governmental residential, industrial, and commercial buildings for air conditioning purposes.

What are the benefits of District cooling?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

Environmentally: District Cooling technology is environmentally friendly using 40 – 60 % less energy than the conventional system. Tabreed Oman’s systems in Oman save Over 63,000 Ton emissions annually. Noise pollution at the end user is significantly reduced as well.

Economically: District cooling reduces the cost of ownership in a property through the factors, i.e., Elimination of chillers, reduced number and capacity of transformers, reduced costs of internal power distribution and control panels, reduced costs of annual operation and maintenance, reduced power consumption and reduced building structure cost.

What is a District cooling service provider?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

A District Cooling Service provider is a utility company similar to water, electricity, telecommunication or gas companies, providing cooling services.

Is District Energy a new concept in the world – in Oman?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

District energy is an ancient concept and relates to the supply of thermal or cool energy from one site to an entire district. Two millenniums ago, the Romans used to pump hot water through open trenches. They used this to provide hot water to the famous baths, homes and other buildings in Pompeii. There are thousands of similar systems in operation today around the world.District cooling is inOman, since 2007 and Tabreed Oman is the largest / leading District Cooling service provider in the country.

Where does Tabreed Oman operate?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

Tabreed Oman as of today operates 8 District Cooling Plants in 8 different locations, Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), Oman Avenues Mall, Land Mark Building, Mall of Muscat, Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Al Araimi Boulevard Mall, Al Bandar Developments and Al Mouj Muscat.

How does Tabreed Oman supply these areas?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman has a specialized technical team that handles the operations and maintenance of the plant equipment around the clock to ensure the most reliable cooling service. This service includes the unit owners’ Energy Transfer Stations (ETS) housed within the end user buildings.

Who operates and maintains Tabreed Oman’s Disctrict cooling plants?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

Tabreed Oman has a specialized technical team that handles the operations and maintenance of the District Cooling Plants around the clock to ensure the cooling service.

What benefits do I experience as a customer of Tabreed Oman?2022-11-16T13:21:12+04:00

Tabreed Oman monitors its network round-the-clock, which makes unexpected failures a remote possibility. There is no need to worry about technical problems on weekends or at night, as the maintenance team is directly alerted to any problems and conducts necessary repairs at any time. The design of the District Cooling Plant takes into consideration the possibility that some units might be shut off for maintenance which can be done at any given time while the tenant remains unaffected. In addition to that, the unit owners/end users are able to enjoy a peaceful and quiet environment due to the elimination of conventional cooling equipment often associated with high levels of noise, being very unsightly and taking up large areas of space. In addition, the development benefits from the extra space made available and an overall safer environment.

How can I be assured of long-lasting service?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman commits to signing long term agreements (20 to 30-years) with its clients.

How does one subscribe to Tabreed Oman services?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Interested developers should contact Tabreed Oman directly with any enquiries. Tabreed Oman reviews all applications for their services and propose the best solution.

Would it be possible to connect existing buildings which have traditional air-conditioning systems to a Tabreed Oman network?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Yes, if a Tabreed Oman network is available close to the building, and especially if the building already has existing chillers. With public utility buildings such as hospitals or universities, a network can be created to serve the main building as well as several adjoining buildings in the vicinity.

What is the agreement between Tabreed Oman and the Developers based on?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Each development has unique requirements; thus, agreements are tailored to the individual project’s specifications. Tabreed Oman and the developers enter into a long-term agreement, usually for 25 years, to guarantee the proper supply of chilled water to the primary side of the ETS at the agreed capacity and tariff. Among other points, the below are the most important factors of the agreement.

Contract Capacity: The capacity is the required chilled water “quantity” to handle the air conditioning load for the entire tower or premises. The developer dictates the required capacity in this case and Tabreed Oman makes available such capacity through the central plants and a dedicated network to the premises. The capacity is measured by Tons of Refrigeration (TR), which is equal to 12,000 BTU per hour.

Service Commencement Date: This is the date the developer dictates for the commencement of service. Based on the two points above Tabreed Oman ensures that the capacity is available from one of its plants and that the development can be served from the distribution network. Inside the premises, Tabreed Oman designs plans and installs what is called an Energy Transfer Station (ETS). This is where the chilled water is supplied from the central plant to one side (primary side). On the secondary side (inside the tower) the developer distributes the capacity to individual units per the design requirements.

What fees are the developers charged?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

As mentioned above, each agreement is tailored to the development’s specific requirements. Tabreed Oman Tariffs as structured as follows:

Connection Charge (One-time fee): to be paid upon signing the Cooling Service Agreement.

Capacity Charge (Monthly): this rate is a fixed rate and it will be identified once Tabreed Oman knows the size of the project and the amount of cooling service required.

Consumption Charge (Monthly): this rate will be decided once the Capacity Charge is identified and it will be charged via a BTU Meter and as per the consumption (i.e., if the Customer consumes zero, he will be charged nothing).

When does the agreement with the unit owner begin?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman will start producing chilled water to the end-user on the service commencement date that was agreed by both parties on the Customer Cooling Service Agreement (CCSA).

What do Tabreed Oman fees actually cover?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman fees cover the Capital Investment of the District Cooling Plant, Chilled Water Pipe Network, ETS plus the operation and maintenance through the life of the contract.

What are the cooling agreement terms?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman agreement covers the District Cooling Service provided. The cooling agreement is signed between Tabreed Oman and the Unit Owner for a term of 20 – 30 years. This assures our long-lasting commitment to serving our customers. The unit owner’s liability under the cooling agreement ends with a change in the property ownership. The new owner enters into a new agreement.

How does this compare with District Cooling systems around the world?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

The fee structure is similar around the world; however, the rate may vary from country to country. Tabreed Oman’s fees are very competitive with the other District Cooling providers in the region.

Are the fees likely to change often? What factors might cause this?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman’s fees, like those of all other utilities, may change due to increases in inflation, in Governmental utility costs (Electricity & Water). However, Tabreed Oman has made a commitment to keep their fees competitive at all times, both for the convenience of existing customers and to attract new ones.

How do I contact Tabreed Oman?2022-11-16T13:21:11+04:00

Tabreed Oman has a Customer Service Office located in Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM-4 Building). We encourage all our customers to visit the office with any enquiries they might have.

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