14 January 2026
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ICS Cool Energy provided a bespoke temporary chiller solution during a major cooling failure at one of London’s oldest and most prestigious banking headquarters.
The landmark building experienced a critical failure in two of its main water-cooled chillers and this posed an immediate risk to the continuity of daily business at the historic site.
Access to the chillers was confined to two basement lifts: one a standard goods lift, the other a vehicle lift capable of taking a skip lorry below ground. There were also greater technical demands: a significant factor was the building’s chilled water system, which operated at 9.2 bar, considerably higher than what standard chilled water applications run at.
Other providers approached for the project explored air-cooled solutions that relied on external equipment and generators, leading to potential complications with local council regulations and logistical headaches. Alongside these technical and logistical hurdles lay considerable financial risk related with that offering. A temporary generator-driven solution could easily have incurred fuel costs running into seven figures, all without guaranteeing optimal comfort for building occupants.
Solution
ICS Cool Energy identified that a temporary water-cooled chiller solution could be installed entirely within the constraints of the basement, interfacing with the high-pressure system and existing infrastructure.
Seven RTSF100 water-cooled chillers were installed in the basement and linked via nearly 90 metres of custom 8-inch stainless steel pipework and bespoke headers, designed to withstand the unusually high system pressure. This internal installation eliminated the need for external equipment and generators, preserving lift access and avoiding potential regulatory obstacles.
Specialist contractors supported the hard-wiring and electrical work to ensure that the new chillers were reliably powered from within the premises, removing the reliance on costly external fuel sources.
Results
ICS Cool Energy’s intervention allowed uninterrupted cooling during a period of vulnerability, supporting the bank’s daily operations while safeguarding valuable assets and data. The solution operated for nearly 12 months, well beyond the original three-to-four-month expectation, giving the client time to redesign and replace its permanent system.
