Chilled beams act similarly to chilled ceilings except that they incorporate a convection effect. Chilled beams typically have one or more conditioned water pipes passing through a suspended beam; this is sometimes combined with a fan that passes air through the beam cooling the room air. The natural convection effect of warm air rising and cool air falling is enhanced. The beams also serve to cool objects in the room by absorbing their radiant energy, just as radiant ceilings function. Because of their lower contact area it is more efficient to combine the radiant cooling with convective air-cooling.

Conditioning with chilled beams can provide 30% energy savings over conventional air conditioning systems. The beams may be active utilizing fans or passive just relying on radiant energy and natural convection currents. The beams can be used for perimeter conditioning or as a main A/C system. The beams can provide heating as well, but are typically used for cooling.

Chilled beams come in many shapes and sizes and can serve as an attractive multi-functional architectural feature by combining them with overhead lighting.