Empowering Business Sustainability: Commercial Refrigeration Systems

Finding ways to reduce the energy consumed by large pieces of equipment is critical for any business looking to boost profits. For restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, gyms and any facility that uses commercial refrigeration systems, ensuring these machines are efficient can have a serious impact on operations and your bottom line.  

 On average, commercial refrigerators and freezers consume a combined 55,000 kWh per year. By comparison, a household refrigerator only uses 1 or 2 kWh per day. That means businesses with industrial cooling systems are spending a lot of money to power them. Luckily, there’s a way to reduce these costs. Enhancing existing units with sophisticated monitoring and controls can help optimize their performance and lead to much better energy efficiency. Refrigeration control technology monitors and maintains temperatures around the clock, reduces electricity consumption by regulating defrost cycles, and proactively alerts business managers about irregular high temperatures and other equipment issues. This mitigates energy waste, equipment outages, and costly food spoilage.   

In our white paper, Empowering Business Sustainability: Energy Management Technologies Transforming the Future, we share our expertise on the various solutions available on the market for businesses hoping to improve their energy usage and lower costs. In this blog post, we’re diving into the importance of efficient commercial refrigeration systems. Download the paper for a full rundown on efficiency technologies. 

Energy Savings Through Commercial Refrigeration Monitoring Systems 

Enhancing your refrigeration system with updated features like controls, EC motors, door heaters, and smart technology can save a significant amount of energy, leading to cost savings through lower utility bills, fewer equipment outages, and improved food shelf life. 

One example of a tech upgrade for your refrigeration is installing an electronically operated controller, which can save energy in refrigeration and freezer systems through precise control of refrigerant, fans, compressors, and by implementing demand defrosts. The device replaces existing controllers and optimizes the energy efficiency of walk-in-freezers and walk-in-coolers by controlling the defrost cycles and fan controls of the unit. Installing a device like this can lead directly to a 3 to 5% reduction in energy consumed by the walk-in units. 

Electronically Commutated (EC) motors are another efficiency tool. They can replace the original factory-installed shaded pole motors with more energy efficient technology that combines the best features of AC and DC motors for the most efficient operations. The efficiency of EC motors is typically 80% to 90%, meaning their installation can reduce a refrigerator’s overall energy consumption. 

Updated door gaskets, sweeps, and closers, along with hinge and latch adjustments, can help make units more airtight, which saves energy as well. 

Reducing Operational Costs and Increasing Longevity Of A Commercial Refrigeration System 

Lowering energy usage does more than just cut down on your energy costs. Another benefit of an efficient refrigeration system is that your walk-in units and other equipment will have an extended lifespan. This saves the hassle of unexpected breakdowns and helps you preserve capital by delaying costly equipment replacement.  

Any efficiency upgrade that improves your refrigeration equipment will impact its lifespan. In addition to the features mentioned above, installing smart monitoring technology can boost these benefits. Most standard commercial refrigerators only last 10 years, but this can be impacted by different factors. The best refrigeration controls on the market should relay data to monitor performance and sends alerts about any walk-in cooler or freezer temperatures that are varying too far from pre-determined temperatures, improper function of equipment, and even door alarms.  

When integrating a smart energy monitoring software system like Budderfly’s, facility managers can get real-time alerts for issues you can quickly solve. These alerts help avert costly disasters, like food spoilage, and unnecessary wear and tear on equipment.  

Environmental Benefits of Efficient Commercial Refrigeration Controls 

Another benefit of upgrading your commercial refrigeration systems with high-efficiency technology is that, in addition to lowering costs, you will also lower your carbon footprint. This can help contribute to any sustainability goals your brand might have, or any corporate mandates.  

Even if you don’t have specific sustainability targets, adopting greener practices can offer business advantages. One of the most powerful ways to earn customer loyalty is to invest in the issues they care about, like sustainability. Recent studies have shown the tangible impacts of sustainability on consumer relations: 77% of brands implementing sustainability measures into their business plans have seen increases in customer loyalty, while 63% have seen a revenue uptick. 

Embracing Modern Refrigeration for a Sustainable Future 

Modern energy efficient commercial refrigeration offers  financial, environmental, and operational benefits for a business. 

• Reduced Operational Costs 

• Capital Preserved 

• Improved Employee Comfort and Productivity 

• Enhanced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 

• Compliance with Regulations 

• Improved Food Safety  

• Reduced Spoilage 

Investing in efficient refrigeration solutions is a smart business decision. However, most business owners don’t have the capital or time to invest in these upgrades and may feel like they are unable to reap the benefits of the best commercial refrigeration systems on the market.  

However, there’s a solution for businesses who want to preserve their capital while still accessing the savings and operational benefits of energy efficiency. Partnering with an energy management partner like Budderfly can help you get the most innovative energy-saving technology on the market with no upfront costs. Contact one of our experts to learn more or download our white paper to see more technologies on the market and the benefits of becoming more efficient.