As we are aware of the fact that commercial refrigerators and freezers are really very important for grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses in the food industry, but with this importance there comes the critical element of these machines, that is the energy usage. Some energy saving tips for commercial refrigerators will help a lot of people who are using these appliances.
This electrical device consumes a lot of energy as they operate all day long to keep our food and other products cold. Other typical commercial refrigerators utilize up to 17,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity whereas these large commercial freezers and refrigerators utilize up to 38,000 kilowatt-hours, which results in high energy bills. For this purpose and to save businesses from spending too much money on energy, the Energy Department has announced the new standards that are made especially for making commercial refrigerators and freezers 30% more efficient if we compare them to 2009 standards. Apart from the new standards, there are a lot of different ways these businesses can lessen the energy use of commercial refrigerators and freezers.
Energy Saving Tips
Listed down below are some quick energy saving tips that you may apply in your commercial refrigerators and they will serve you as a lifesaver in reducing the number of your electricity bills.
- You can turn on anti-sweat heaters only when an ambient condition is causing condensation on your machine’s display doors. You can try and install adaptive controls for these machines so that they can turn off and on automatically when needed.
- Always double check door gaskets and auto closers in order to make sure that they are in a good condition as they should be. Warm and humid air can easily enter refrigeration sections if these are not working appropriately, which may result in energy wastage and rotten food items.
- You must always make sure that the refrigeration system is neat and free of dust, particularly the coils in the system. This will really help in improving the heat transfer throughout the system.
- All the time you should make sure that your refrigeration system has enough space around it to make sure that the airflow is good all over the heat exchanging coils. This will surely help in lowering the amount of the energy that is wasted.
- For the purpose of energy saving, you can also install motion sensors for case lighting systems. This will conveniently turn the system’s lights on and off only when needed.
- You can also install the night curtains on any open cases that will help keep refrigerated air from leaking when your standard business hours are over.
Commercial Refrigerators Basics
Most of the restaurants use a combination of the two most common types of commercial refrigerators and freezers and that is:
- “Walk-in”: this is sort of a sealed room for storing goods that are in the bulk amount that can be walked into to be selected.
- “Reach-in”: this one is a small and independent unit that can easily be gained access to very conveniently by opening its doors.
There are many different kinds of solutions that are available for both types of these freezers that range from full rebuilds or new energy star models to small changes that can help in improving the productivity of a particular unit at a little cost. The basic first step towards environmental commercial refrigeration is purchasing energy efficient commercial refrigerators.
4 Detailed Energy Saving Tips For Refrigerators
As said earlier commercial refrigerators and deep freezers are very important for restaurants, grocery stores, and other companies that are related to the food industry. But as these appliances use a lot of energy, working throughout the day to help maintain your stock
Below are the detailed energy saving tips for commercial refrigerators based on EPA guidelines and your own walk-in freezer maintenance checklist:
1) Turn On the Anti Sweat Heaters
You can turn on anti-sweat heaters only when an ambient condition is causing condensation on your machine’s display doors. You can try and install adaptive controls for these machines so that they can turn off and on automatically when needed. They can prevent water from condensing on the outside of your refrigerated display cases. This can allow the customers to see your product easily all the time. By modernizing your anti-sweat controls, the KCR will give you all the advantages related to the anti-sweat display doors while they also minimize the energy costs. These measures can easily control the function of anti-sweat heaters, which then allows them to run only when it is needed. This is considered one of the best offers of both worlds, great appearance at such minimal cost. Anti-sweat heaters are also a key step in any walk-in cooler cleaning schedule.
2) Check Door Gaskets and Auto closers
Always make sure at least from your side that your door equipment is best in its condition. In case these parts are not working in a proper way, the humid air will enter the refrigeration compartments easily. This will help in improving the heat transfer within the system that is good to save energy as well. State-of-the-art technology does not only demand less electricity than older models but also runs calmer and last even longer. If you make your refrigerators more reliable it may become motivational enough to install new motors in them. It can save on your energy bill in the process is just an added bonus for this measure. You should regularly inspect if the doors are working properly this can also help in the process that your fridge motor is in use only when it needs to do. This quality is particularly very effective at preserving produce that may dry out when they are exposed to too much airflow. With these regular examinations, you can also avoid shelling out hard-earned money from your business for emergency commercial refrigeration repair.
3) Install Motion Detector for case lighting Systems
With the installation of motion detectors, they can turn lights on and off when your fridge door is open or closed respectively. LED lighting can significantly reduce energy costs by your end. Not only do these LEDs consume a smaller amount of energy, but they will also produce less amount of heat. As a result, you will need less electricity to keep your products chilled.
Additionally, LED lights can increase the visibility of anything you have in your freezer. This is an especially important quality for high-demand items like meat or any other such stuff. Whenever your customers are looking for fresh, visible products, you will want your grocery store to beat the competition.
4) Switch to energy Star Certified Products
All the best considered commercial refrigerators and freezers are designed in such a way that they are tested to keep food at a certain temperature. No matter what and where you are either you are in a hot kitchen environment or you are in any cold storage area, you will have to deal with regular door openings. All the machines that will eventually meet this criterion will always provide you with some major savings to commercial kitchen operations.
Walk-in freezer maintenance checklists that use Energy Star products are on average 20% more energy-efficient than standard models. This is caused because they are designed with elements such as ECM evaporators, condenser fan motors, hot gas anti-sweat heaters, or high-efficiency compressors. All of these components drastically reduce energy consumption and utility bills for your business.
Do all freezers consume a lot of electricity?
According to a recent study, a freezer consumes 300 to 700 watts of energy. If it is a 13 cubic foot frost-free freezer, it will use up to around 300 watts, whereas a 20 cubic foot freezer will cost 350 watts in total. Commonly, the newer versions of freezers have lower power consumption than the older generation’s models.
What are the most efficient commercial refrigerators design?
According to the research, the most energy-efficient commercial refrigerators style is a top-mount freezer refrigerator. And yes, this does matter when it comes to selecting the perfect freezers for your businesses.
Is a full refrigerator more energy efficient?
According to researcher Jacob Talbot of the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “A full refrigerator doesn’t decrease energy use”, he explained that your foodstuff in your fridge is most likely does not displace enough space to reduce the amount of energy needed to keep it chilled.
