Refrigeration

Almost all businesses have a refrigeration system of some kind. These vary from small domestic fridges or freezers in the kitchen to large commercial systems.

Standard refrigeration

There are a number of simple actions you can take to ensure you're getting the most from your refrigeration appliances:

• Make sure all fridges and freezers are away from ovens and not in direct sunlight
• Make sure all fridges and freezers have good seals
• Regularly thaw fridges and freezers.

Thanks to improvements in technology, modern fridges and freezers are more energy efficient than older models made 10 years ago or more.  When choosing a new fridge or freezer, there are a number of things to consider.

Read our checklist for choosing a fridge or freezer to help you get the best energy efficiency for your needs.

Commercial refrigeration 

If you are managing a commercial refrigeration system, there are a number of steps you can take to make sure it's running as efficiently as possible:

• Use ‘ambient’ or evaporative cooling
• Minimise heat sources such as lights, vehicles and any source of moisture
• Don't use cold storage areas for freezing and chilling
• Don't let chilled product sit for long in a warm area.
• Use self-closing doors to isolate cold areas
• Vapour seal all openings in cold store walls
• Regularly check evaporator and condenser heat exchanges to make sure they are working properly
• cCean and check fans regularly.

Industrial refrigeration

If you are managing an industrial refrigeration system, there are a number considerations to ensure it's running as efficiently as possible:

• Install speed control on fans, as it is more efficient than staged control
• Run evaporators at the correct temperatures for your needs
• Make sure condensers are in cool, well ventilated areas
• Maintain your cooling towers – a water treatment and maintenance programme is essential
• Look at how the refrigeration plant could ‘load shed’ during electrical peak demand time. Schedule batch or non-continuous operations around peak electricity cost periods
• Look for hot water pre-heating opportunities from water cooled condensers, heat exchangers and oil coolers.

Efficient refrigeration in action

Read about how Coldstorage saved energy by re-evaluating their processes.

More information

ENERGY STAR® can help you select the most efficient appliances.