Choosing a chiller isn’t just about specs on paper. From our experience in hospitals, factories, and labs, the first question is always: gas or electric? It changes how the plant runs, energy bills, maintenance schedules, even the way your team schedules downtime.

We’ve seen facilities where a gas chiller made perfect sense because electricity was expensive, and others where electric units saved more money over time. What is the difference between a gas chiller and an electric chiller?

What is a Gas Chiller?

A gas chiller runs on natural gas, propane, or even biogas. Most use an absorption cycle, though some have gas engines driving compressors. Essentially, they convert fuel energy into cooling.

Our customer who has a 24/7 production plant where electricity costs were sky-high. Installing a gas chiller not only saved money but allowed them to recover heat from the exhaust to preheat water for other processes. It’s robust—but you need room for venting, proper fuel connections, and space for service.

These units handle part-loads well and don’t stress the grid, which is why they’re popular in continuous industrial operations. The downside? They’re heavier and a bit more complex to install.

What is an Electric Chiller?

Electric chillers use electricity to drive compressors and circulate refrigerant. They can be air-cooled or water-cooled and range from small lab units to industrial-scale machines.

Most users installed electric chillers in labs where temperature stability is critical. They’re precise and integrate nicely with building automation. The installation is straightforward because of no burners or exhaust. But you do have to watch your electricity bills if the system runs nonstop.

Gas Chiller vs. Electric Chiller

Working Principle

The main difference is how energy gets converted. Gas chillers burn fuel to drive cooling, sometimes through an absorption cycle, sometimes via a gas engine. Electric chillers convert electricity directly into mechanical work.

This difference affects part-load efficiency, control accuracy, and the ability to pair with heat recovery. On one job, you are allowed to pair a gas chiller with a heat-recovery loop, reclaiming enough energy to heat the facility’s domestic water, something an electric chiller couldn’t do without extra systems.

Energy Efficiency

Efficiency isn’t just a number on a spec sheet—it’s about real operation. Gas chillers can shine at full load and when combined with heat recovery, they can boost overall site efficiency.

Electric chillers can be very efficient too, especially with VFD compressors or high-COP designs. The electric chiller adjusts continuously to fluctuating loads, saving nearly 20% on electricity compared to a fixed-speed unit.

Cost

Gas chillers usually cost more to install, they need burners, exhaust piping, and sometimes a bigger footprint. But in regions with cheap fuel and expensive electricity, they can pay for themselves fast.

Electric chillers are simpler to buy and install, but running costs can add up if they operate 24/7. Our engineer always runs a ten-year cost projection for clients, including energy, maintenance, and downtime. Often, the choice isn’t obvious until you crunch real numbers.

Environmental Impact

Gas chillers produce combustion emissions, so you need venting, monitoring, and sometimes emissions controls. But they reduce load on the electrical grid, which is useful in areas where electricity is carbon-intensive.

Electric chillers don’t emit on-site but depend on how the electricity is generated. Pairing them with renewables or thermal storage can make them very green. Both types benefit from heat recovery if your process can use the captured energy.

Application Suitability

You could usually see gas chillers in industrial plants, hospitals running 24/7, or district cooling systems. Electric chillers dominate in labs, offices, and data centers where precise temperature control is a must.

Hybrid setups are also common. You can use an electric chiller for sensitive lab equipment and a gas chiller for the base load. The result? Lower operating costs, more reliability, and flexible operation.

Maintenance and Reliability

Gas chillers need routine burner inspections, vent checks, and fuel-quality monitoring. Our after-sale engineer has been called out to a plant where the gas supply had debris, and the chiller performance dropped dramatically until the filter was cleaned.

Electric chillers are simpler mechanically. Compressors and refrigerant loops need regular attention, but with no combustion, there are fewer surprises. Accessibility and space often matter more than the technology itself. You can have the most efficient chiller in the world, but if your techs can’t reach it, it won’t perform well.

Conclusion

At LNEYA, we design and supply both gas and electric chillers, tailored to real-world conditions. From air-cooled electric chillers to water-cooled gas units, and options with heat recovery or VFD integration, we match the system to your facility, not the other way around.

Reach out and let our engineers help you select the right chiller for reliable, energy-efficient cooling.

Let us know your requirements