Choosing new equipment

Choose a refrigeration system designed to defrost only when needed. Typical electric defrost systems have four (4) defrosts per day. Choosing a system that can predict frost accumulation and initiate defrosting only when needed will reduce defrosts to 1 or 2 per day can dramatically reduce the amount of energy used and cut your operating costs. To protect quality, some systems will initiate defrosts during product deliveries and product pull-down.

Look for Permanent Split Capacitor (PSC) motors to lower energy costs while increasing the equipment’s reliability and longevity. PSC motors are 30-35% more efficient on average than shaded-pole motors. They save energy two ways: by reducing motor watts and heat gain into the conditioned space to reduce the compressor load and the compressor watts, so the compressor works less and consumes less energy. The typical payback is about 11 months.

Select energy-efficient condensing units that use the remote condenser circuit to remove heat that is normally exhausted from the condensers of ice machines, drink dispensers and other equipment. The payback period for this unit is very short and can often completely pay for itself in a matter of months.

Buy air-cooled condensers with lower fan speeds. Systems that offer a choice of fan/blade motor combinations are specifically designed to reduce operating costs and run quietly.

Install an air-cooled condenser with brushless DC motor to improve overall unit efficiency by up to seventy-five percent.* That can save more than $1,000 dollars each year in energy costs.

You’ll find more information on energy-saving technology from the Association of Energy Engineers and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network.

*Results may vary depending on application conditions. Calculation is an estimate only and is based on specific application data.