As a Chicago commercial refrigeration and ice freezer maintenance, repair, and sales company…one of our passions and specialties is green refrigeration. As part of our business, education is an important issue for green initiatives. The more we educate our customers and the public about the ability to save both money and energy the more we all win. This is part one of a two part education series regarding ENERGY STAR products. In this post, we’ll be covering commercial refrigerators and freezers.
Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers Are Energy Work Horses:
For businesses like supermarkets, restaurants and hospitals…refrigeration is an absolute necessity. Many foods and medicines need to stay cold or frozen and therefore commercial refrigeration equipment and commercial freezers are on around the clock 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Because of this, commercial refrigeration and freezers use a tremendous amount of energy. This cost of doing business comes at a steep price. Electricity pricing continues to soar and refrigeration costs increase year after year.
The problem businesses face with modern commercial refrigeration is that they can waste up to 30% of their energy and run 50% more cycles just trying to maintain a constant temperature. Several factors go into commercial refrigeration energy use. The room’s temperature, freezer temperature, how well the unit is insulated, how often the door is opened, cleanliness of the coil, whether it is defrosted regularly, the condition of the door seal all make a difference your equipment energy’s consumption.
Lower Energy Costs With Energy Star Products
The harder your refrigerator has to work to maintain a constant temperature, the more energy it will use. There are ways to lower the energy use and costs of your commercial refrigeration equipment. One of those is to purchase ENERGY STAR products.
ENERGY STAR labeled commercial refrigerators and freezers are more energy efficient because they are designed with components such as ECM evaporator and condenser fan motors, hot gas anti-sweat heaters, or high-efficiency compressors, which will significantly reduce energy consumption and utility bills. Compared to standard models, ENERGY STAR labeled commercial refrigerators and freezers can lead to energy savings of as much as 35 percent with a 1.3 year payback.
Only products that meet specific definitions are eligible for ENERGY STAR qualification. Examples of product types that may be eligible for qualification include: reach-in, roll-in, or pass-through refrigeration units units; merchandisers; undercounter units; milk coolers; back bar coolers; bottle coolers; glass frosters; deep well units; beer-dispensing or direct draw units; and bunker freezers.
Drawer cabinets, prep tables, deli cases, and open air units are not eligible for ENERGY STAR under the Version 2.0 specification. This specification is intended for commercial food-grade refrigeration equipment only.
Energy Star Commercial Refrigeration And Freezer Definitions
- Commercial Food-grade Refrigerator: A refrigeration cabinet designed for storing food products at temperatures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit (F) but no greater than 40 degrees F and intended for commercial use.
- Commercial Food-grade Freezer: A refrigeration cabinet designed for storing food products at temperatures of 0 degrees F and intended for commercial use.
- Refrigeration Cabinet: A refrigerator or freezer used for storing food products at specified temperatures, with the condensing unit and compressor built into the cabinet, and designed for use by commercial or institutional facilities, other than laboratory settings. These units may be vertical or chest configurations and may contain a worktop surface.
- Solid Door Cabinet: A commercial food-grade refrigerator or freezer in which all outer doors on all sides of the unit are solid doors. These doors may be sliding or hinged.
- Glass Door Cabinet: A commercial food-grade refrigerator or freezer in which all outer doors on at least one side of the unit are glass doors. These doors may be sliding or hinged.
- Mixed Solid/Glass Door Cabinet: A commercial food-grade refrigerator or freezer in which all outer doors on at least one side of the unit is a combination of solid and glass doors. A unit which has all glass doors on one side and a combination of solid and glass doors on another is considered a glass door cabinet.
Upgrading an older commercial refrigerator can save a restaurant over $1,200 over the life of the units through these efficiency improvements. We hope some of this information was helpful with learning more about commercial refrigeration and freezer Energy Star products. Next post we’ll cover Energy Star ice machines.
If you’re interested in purchasing an Energy Star product or how your business can save energy, contact Northeast Cooling. We were proud to announce that our vender, Manitowic Foodservice was recently awarded the energy star partner of the year.
For other tips on how your restaurant can save energy and money, be sure to follow Refrigeration on Twitter, and Fan Northeast Cooling on Facebook.
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