Do you require a cold storage warehouse installation or any other kind of commercial cool room solution? Energy efficiency is an essential consideration with any new refrigeration system. Approaches to maximising the energy efficiency of a cool room ranges from the original design of the system to how it’s installed, maintained and used.
In a typical cold storage warehouse, 15 per cent of electricity use is for running lighting systems, pumps, motors, fans and conveyors while 5 per cent accounts for cleaning and sanitation. The remaining 80 per cent is for cooling and freezing. Ensuring your cool storage systems are energy efficient is a huge potential for driving cost reductions.
Design and Installation
A quality cold storage solution will look at every aspect of the environment to maximise cooling efficiency. For example, the shading, positioning and the design of the building it is being installed in. Will the refrigerator receive direct sunlight? Every opportunity to reduce heat gain from the environment should be pursued.
Reflective paints applied to the outside of the cold storage unit can reduce external heat load. Coolant pipes can also be installed to limit heat absorption from the surroundings. LEDs are the best choice for lighting inside as they consume much less power and don’t emit as much heat.
Maintenance
Preventative maintenance plays a huge role in ensuring cold storage systems continue to operate in an energy efficient manner. Heat exchangers should be inspected and cleaned to improve the performance of the system. Seals, insulation and door alignment of refrigeration units should be inspected regularly, as seals wear and can be damaged, wasting energy.
You should also ensure that dust and spider webs don’t clog the fins, that products are not blocking the fan inside and that grass isn’t growing in front of the outside exchanger. Your goal is to maintain an unobstructed area of at least a metre in front of and behind the coil.
Day to Day Use
Lights inside the cool room should always be turned off when not in use to reduce power consumption. Restocking should be organised to minimise the number of times you need to access the cool room. Whenever you enter or exit a cool room, you should always ensure the door is properly closed.
An increasingly popular strategy in the food industry, particularly farms and other businesses that handle large volumes of perishable food, is using pre-cooling methods such as hydro, vacuum or forced-air cooling
Commercial Freezers and Cool Rooms in Sydney
Cold-Rite Refrigeration provides a range of commercial and industrial refrigeration solutions, including walk in fridges, commercial water chillers, humidity-controlled rooms and more. We have a fleet of mobile workshops available for breakdown services, installation or planned maintenance throughout the greater Sydney metropolitan area extending to the Blue Mountains, Central and South Coasts.
