There’s a good reason why you need a high-powered industrial refrigeration system. Perishable products need cold storage to stay fresh. Yet, cold storage options aren’t typically the most energy efficient refrigeration systems.
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 and having a huge negative impact on global warming.
Luckily, energy efficient refrigeration is available for businesses. This article will explain why traditional commercial refrigeration consumes so much power and what you can do to reduce your energy consumption.
Commercial refrigeration refers to various equipment, such as walk-in freezers in restaurants, reach-in coolers in supermarkets, and cooled prep tables. Because they are large and need to be in constant use, standard models often consume a lot of energy.
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Age Matters Most standard commercial refrigerators only last 10 years. Older equipment wastes significantly more energy. That’s because worn-out parts need to work harder to do their jobs. |
There are some key differences between standard and energy-efficient refrigeration equipment, such as the size of components.
For example, compressors in standard commercial refrigeration systems are often much larger than those used in Energy Star products. (For context, products labeled Energy Star are valued for using less energy and helping businesses save money, without undercutting performance.)
The intention is to increase the compressor’s workload. However, instead of using energy efficiently, it simply produces more energy output. In contrast, an energy-efficient unit’s compressor is optimized to use less energy while doing similar work.
Source: Environmental Investigation Agency - CBC News
Energy efficient refrigeration systems are designed to combine energy efficiency with durability and reliability. An Energy Star certified commercial model will increase efficiency by 20% on average.
That’s because these models prioritize energy savings over increased output. They use high-efficiency components to achieve this goal while maintaining performance requirements.
Returning to our compressor example, an energy efficient cooling system would deploy advanced technology to optimize the compressor’s energy use instead of just increasing its size and output. The result is equivalent performance for less energy.
Refrigerants also make a difference, and different types vary in sustainability and efficiency. The most efficient refrigerants are R717 Ammonia, R744 CO2, and R600A Isobutane. Both commercial and household refrigeration units include a label that indicates the type of refrigerant it uses. Check yours when you upgrade.
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What Else Can Your Business Do to ‘Bring in the Green?’ |
Upgrading to an energy efficient model is only step one. You must put in the effort to optimize the energy efficiency of your industrial refrigeration system. Even the most efficient refrigeration equipment will waste more energy than necessary if it's not properly cared for.
Dirty fan blades are prone to overheating. Clean your unit’s condenser coil every three months at a minimum. You should also make sure there’s minimal frost build-up on your blades. If your frost build-up is 5 mm (0.5 cm) thick, you need to clean it and check the defrost control board.
Damaged and dirty door seals leak cold air. Leakage isn’t always obvious, a small, steady leak may not result in noticeable temperature changes. Yet, it increases energy waste and product spoilage all the same. Thoroughly inspect your door seal once a year at a minimum.
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💡Tip: if there is no visible damage, you can test your seal by placing a dollar bill in your closed fridge door. If it slips out easily, cold air is leaking. |
Never exceed your unit’s storage capacity. If you don’t know what it is, you can find it on your energy label or your manufacturer’s user manual. Overstocking leads to decreased airflow, which forces your fans to work harder and accelerates product spoilage.
Running your unit colder than necessary is bad for energy efficiency and your products. It overworks your equipment and wears it down faster while potentially causing freezer burn on your products. Watch your thermostat or use a temperature monitoring device to ensure it doesn’t get too cold.
Spills and leaks can damage your equipment and humidity can increase frost build-up. Keep your doors shut tight to keep external humidity out of your unit. Humid air leaking in can be just as much of a problem as cold air leaking out.
Refrigeration monitoring systems use integrated hardware and software to notify you of abnormalities that could cause wasted energy or inventory loss. They do this by collecting data from thermostats and sensors and transmitting it to a central platform.
This data also lets the monitoring system automatically adjust your thermostats to optimize energy usage. This way, you can maintain a consistent efficiency standard across all cold storage units.
Equipment upgrades are a time and cost sink. However, you can save money and hours by talking to an EEaaS (Energy Efficiency as a Service) company to help you locate and install the best energy efficient refrigeration system for your business.
Budderfly offers this service at zero upfront cost. Our goal is to make the world greener by getting energy-efficient equipment to more businesses. We work with 4,500+ restaurant locations to make their refrigeration systems more sustainable.
Learn more about installing, monitoring, and maintaining energy management systems like refrigeration monitoring, by contacting a specialist at Budderfly.