How a 1–3 Unit CryogenX4 Pilot Program Works

Key takeaways

• A pilot measures results on your own units, under your loads, before a wider rollout.
• The M&V plan, including what counts as no effect, is agreed before installation.
• Baseline and post-treatment periods should cover comparable load and weather ranges.
• You should receive raw data, the model, savings with uncertainty, and oil analysis.

A pilot is the most reliable way to find out whether an efficiency treatment works on your equipment, under your loads, in your climate. Done properly, it produces a result you can defend to finance, ownership or a utility program, whether that result is positive or not. This page describes how a 1–3 unit CryogenX4 pilot can be structured: unit selection, baseline monitoring, installation, post-treatment monitoring, analysis and deliverables. It is a process you can request and shape. It is not a promise of any particular result, and it does not include pricing, which depends on your equipment.

Why pilot first

Published results, including the company's, tell you what has happened elsewhere. CryogenX4 reports energy savings of up to 30% and typical payback of 12 to 36 months, and says results vary by equipment condition. A pilot converts those general statements into a measured number for your own units, and it lets you test the vendor's process, documentation and responsiveness before committing to a larger rollout. It also limits exposure: you can pilot on out-of-warranty equipment while you gather evidence. See OEM warranties and additives.

Step 1: Choose the pilot units (week 0–2)

Pick one to three units that are:

• Representative of the fleet you would treat later (same type, similar age and refrigerant).
• Stable in use, with no planned changes in occupancy, setpoints, schedules or major repairs during the pilot.
• Measurable, meaning you can isolate their electrical input and capture their cooling output or a reliable proxy.
• Mechanically sound. Fix airflow, charge and dirty external coils first, or do it before the baseline starts. Otherwise, you cannot tell which change produced the result. See diagnosing efficiency loss.

Where possible, also identify a similar untreated unit as a comparison. It is not required, but it helps separate weather and operating changes from the treatment effect.

Step 2: Write the M&V plan before anything is installed

The measurement and verification (M&V) plan is the core document. It should follow a recognized protocol, typically the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) or ASHRAE Guideline 14, and state, in advance:

1. The measurement boundary, usually the individual unit (IPMVP retrofit isolation, Option B). See IPMVP options explained.
2. The metrics: power (kW), energy (kWh), cooling delivered (tons) and efficiency (kW per ton or EER).
3. The independent variables used to normalize results, such as outdoor air temperature, load, and condenser water or chilled water temperatures.
4. Baseline and post-treatment durations and the conditions each must cover.
5. The analysis method, typically a regression model of power against load and conditions, built on baseline data and used to predict what the unit would have used after treatment.
6. How uncertainty will be reported, and what result would count as no measurable effect.
7. Non-routine events that would trigger an adjustment or a restart, such as a refrigerant leak repair, a compressor replacement or a schedule change.

DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) puts the reason for doing this first bluntly: after a measure is installed, "it is impossible to go back and re-evaluate its baseline because it no longer exists."

Step 3: Baseline monitoring (typically several weeks)

Sensors and loggers are installed and the unit runs normally. FEMP's M&V Guidelines advise gathering baseline data long enough "to clearly define equipment performance, such as measuring chiller performance through a full range of loads during the cooling season," rather than relying on spot readings. In practice, the baseline length depends on how much the load varies; the goal is to capture the range of conditions the post-treatment period will see. Data are typically logged at intervals of one to fifteen minutes.

Refrigerant-side readings (suction and discharge pressure, superheat, subcooling, approach temperatures) are useful diagnostics, but the result should be expressed in kW, kWh and kW per ton. For more detail, see what a CryogenX4 pilot measures.

A baseline oil sample from each unit is also recommended, so acid number, moisture and wear metals can be compared later.

Step 4: Installation (usually one day)

According to CryogenX4, the treatment is a one-time application installed while the system runs, with no downtime and no modifications to the system, by trained, certified technicians; most installs take one day. For the pilot, the installation record should include the product, quantity, date, technician and certification, access point, and system readings before and after. Loggers stay in place throughout.

Step 5: Post-treatment monitoring (typically several weeks)

Monitoring continues under normal operation. Two points matter:

• Comparable conditions. The post-treatment period needs to overlap the baseline's range of loads and weather so the model is predicting within its range, not extrapolating.
• Settling time. Ask the company how long after installation it expects measurements to reflect the treatment, and write that period into the plan before installation, so it is not chosen after seeing the data.

A follow-up oil sample is taken toward the end of this period.

Step 6: Analysis and report (about 2–4 weeks after monitoring ends)

The baseline model predicts what each unit would have used under post-treatment conditions; the difference from measured use is the savings, with its uncertainty. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2006 field test of an oil additive on a 1,000-ton chiller is a good illustration of an honest report: the authors stated their savings as −2.02 kW ± 10.93 kW at 90% confidence and concluded no effect could be measured. Your pilot report should be just as clear, whichever way the result falls. See how to read an M&V report.

Typical timeline

Total elapsed time is often two to four months, depending on season and load variation. Durations are indicative and should be set in your M&V plan.

What you should receive

• The signed M&V plan, written before installation.
• Raw interval data for baseline and post-treatment periods, in a format you can open.
• The baseline model, its fit statistics and the normalized comparison.
• Savings in kW, kWh and kW per ton, with uncertainty, and a projection to annual savings using your operating hours and utility rates, with assumptions stated.
• Before-and-after oil analysis results.
• The installation record and a log of any non-routine events.

Common pilot pitfalls

• Doing maintenance during the pilot. Cleaning coils or adjusting charge between the baseline and post-treatment periods mixes two effects. Do the maintenance first, then start the baseline.
• Too short a baseline. A few days of mild weather cannot predict performance on a peak afternoon. The model needs the same range of conditions it will be asked to predict.
• Changing setpoints or schedules. A new occupancy schedule or a chilled water reset can swamp any treatment effect. Freeze controls changes or log them as non-routine events.
• Unverified sensors. Spot-check flow meters, temperature sensors and power meters at the start. A drifting sensor can create or hide savings.
• Reading the result early. Agree on the analysis window in advance and stick to it.

After the pilot: scaling up

If the result supports a wider rollout, the pilot gives you three things: a measured effect on units like the rest of your fleet, a tested measurement method, and a documented installation process. A practical rollout keeps lighter-touch monitoring on a sample of treated units, uses utility interval data for whole-building trends, and prioritizes units with the highest run hours, where any per-unit improvement is worth the most. If the result does not support a rollout, you have spent a modest amount to avoid a large mistake. Either outcome is useful. To turn a measured result into a financial case, see building the business case.

Making the pilot useful beyond the pilot

If you may later apply for a custom utility incentive, ask the program about pre-approval and M&V requirements before the baseline starts; some programs have rules about when measurements may begin. See custom utility rebates and M&V. And involve whoever will approve a wider rollout, usually finance or ownership, in agreeing to the success criteria up front.

Next step

To discuss a pilot, send your candidate units (type, tonnage, refrigerant, age and how they are metered today) through our contact page, and ask for a draft M&V plan as the first deliverable.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a pilot take?

Often two to four months in total, depending on season and how much the load varies. Installation itself usually takes one day, according to CryogenX4.

Does the pilot require shutting the equipment down?

According to CryogenX4, the treatment is installed while the system runs, with no downtime. Sensor installation may need brief access, which should be planned with your operations team.

What if the pilot shows no measurable savings?

That is a legitimate outcome, and the plan should define it in advance. A credible pilot report states the result and its uncertainty either way.

Can we use our building automation system data?

Often, yes, if the trends include the needed points at adequate intervals and the sensors are verified. Gaps are usually filled with temporary loggers.

Is pricing included here?

No. Pilot scope depends on your equipment and metering; request a proposal through the contact page.

Sources

1. M&V Guidelines: Measurement and Verification for Performance-Based Contracts, Version 5.0 — U.S. DOE Federal Energy Management Program
2. International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) — Efficiency Valuation Organization
3. De-Scaling the Peak: The Impact of a Polarized Refrigerant Oil Additive on Chiller Performance at a U.S. Postal Service Processing & Distribution Center (2006 ACEEE Summer Study) — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory / ACEEE