Whether you own a grocery store, convenience store, restaurant or supermarket, chances are at some point you’ve been concerned about monthly energy consumption. The refrigeration of reach-ins and display cases can account for as much as 60 percent of your electricity consumption, making them your commercial property’s biggest energy consumers.
Fortunately, there are ways you can reduce your monthly utility bill. Here our air conditioning and heater maintenance team explains what you need to know:
Taking the First Step
The condition of the equipment, system control strategy, design of your system, refrigerant used and even the cooling load profile affect your commercial property’s efficiency. The compressors and condensers typically consume a lot of energy in industrial refrigeration, so if you’re planning to increase the efficiency of your refrigeration system, these two components will be the best place to start.
You can also get an energy audit, which will provide you with a report identifying where your business can save energy and your best opportunities to increase energy efficiency. This will also help shed some light on which factors affect the energy efficiency of your refrigeration system.
Other Energy-Efficient Tips to Keep in Mind
Some low-cost ways to keep your business energy efficient are to ensure that the refrigerator doors are always properly sealed whenever they’re closed and that the evaporator and condenser coils are kept clean. If you’re planning to retrofit your system to increase efficiency, make sure you work with a trusted AC installation technician and discuss how they can install energy-saving features. Some of the common ones include:
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Liquid pressure amplifiers – These are small refrigerant pumps that raise the liquid line pressure to increase system efficiency.
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Mechanical subcooling – This method effectively cools liquid refrigerant below its saturation pressure to increase system capacity and improve energy efficiency.
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Energy-efficient case lighting fixtures – You can have your unit’s normal lighting replaced with T-8 fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts. This helps reduce both lighting energy use and the cooling load on the compressor.
Call American Refrigeration Heating and Air Conditioning Co., Inc. today for your refrigeration and other AC system repair concerns. Contact us at (662) 337-7968 or reach us online through our convenient contact form.
