Which of the following is a common HVAC system type used in commercial buildings?

Chilled water systems are a widely used HVAC system type in commercial buildings due to their efficiency in providing cooling for large spaces. These systems work by circulating chilled water through air handling units or fan coil units, where the air passes over coils to be cooled before it is distributed throughout the building.

One of the key advantages of chilled water systems is their ability to accommodate significant cooling loads, making them ideal for the varying demands of commercial buildings, such as offices, shopping centers, and hospitals. They can be designed to serve an entire building or specific areas depending on the cooling needs. Additionally, they allow for centralized control, making it easier to maintain comfort levels across different zones in a large facility.

In comparison, while radiant heating systems, geothermal systems, and solar thermal systems each have their unique applications and benefits, they are not as commonly implemented as primary HVAC solutions in commercial environments, particularly when it comes to scalable cooling solutions. Radiant systems are more frequently used for heating rather than cooling, geothermal systems can be more complex and expensive to install compared to chilled water systems, and solar thermal systems are often supplementary rather than primary HVAC methods.