23% energy savings achieved on commercial refrigeration equipment for cold food storage company
SMARTech energy’s team of expert energy consultants has developed a bespoke energy management strategy through it’s Energy Efficiency as a Service (EEaaS) programme for a food storage and distribution company.
The company stores and distributes a variety of foods including fresh, chilled and frozen foods for their clients.
The company partnered with SMARTech energy to optimise the efficiencies of their refrigeration equipment and to cut energy consumption across the business.
How to reduce energy consumption
Our team of expert energy consultants developed a bespoke energy management strategy which optimised the energy performance and operating conditions of the site’s refrigeration equipment. This, together with the installation of the following energy conservation measures (ECMs), guaranteed, measured and verified energy savings of 23%:
SMART Phase Change Material:
SMART PCM is a technology installed inside the freezer area – on the top shelves. Its purpose is to retain the frozen ambient temperature inside the cold storage areas. This technology lowers the load on the refrigeration condensers as the temperature inside the cold storage areas is maintained for longer – leading to a reduction in energy consumption.
Voltage Optimisation:
The voltage optimisation (VO) strategy involves the installation of a VO unit on the site’s main incoming supply. The role of the unit is to optimise the voltage supplied to the site. This minimises voltage spikes; helping prolong the lifespan of the electrical equipment. In addition, reduced voltage leads to an overall reduction in energy consumption.
SMART Refrigeration:
The thermostat mounted inside the evaporators are designed to sense the ambient temperature of the cold storage areas. This sometimes results in inefficient operation of the refrigeration system as it works to cool the ambient air – and not the food stored inside the cold storage areas.
The installation of chilled unit energy savers (CUES) upgrades the existing thermostat located inside the existing evaporating units. It replicates the thermostatic properties of the foods stored inside the chillers. CUES allows the refrigeration system to optimally adjust its refrigeration cycle to cool the stored food – not the ambient air inside the cold storage areas.
Power Factor Correction (PFC):
The power factor correction strategy involves the installation of a PFC unit on the site’s main incoming supply. The purpose of a PFC unit is to bring the power factor closer to unity by optimising the apparent power (kVA) supplied to the site. Higher power factor is achieved by maximising the amount of true power (kW), while minimising the amount of reactive power (kVAR) supplied to site.
SMART Mesh:
SMART Mesh is retrofitted on the condensing units of the refrigeration system. SMART Mesh is designed to pre-cool the ambient air that is supplied to the condensing units. This results in lower operating load for the refrigeration condensers as the heat difference between the indoor and outdoor ambient temperature is minimised.
Making a commercial building more energy efficient
SMARTech energy strive to continuously provide bespoke customer focused solutions across all manufacturing sectors which help its clients to save energy, save money and save carbon.
The energy savings of 23% for this foodservice company has been achieved through a bespoke energy management and reduction strategy. This approach has resulted in less energy consumption, improved temperature stability and greater sustainability for the business.
For more information on this and other energy reduction solutions, contact our team on 01225 635 660.
