Meeting 2009 EISA Walk-in Cooler & Freezer Standards

The federal government’s EISA (Energy Independence & Security Act) standards went into effect Jan. 1st, 2009. This act was intended to improve energy efficiency within the refrigeration industry as well as many other industries. AHRI reports there have been some concerns since there are no enforcement mechanism or standard testing methods built into the act; non-compliant walk-in manufacturers will stand to benefit. These manufacturers will be able to beat compliant competitors on price (due to the lower input costs of their non-regulation walk-ins). Be sure that when buying a walk-in, you check to make sure they are EISA compliant.

The AHRI (Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute) is trying to raise awareness about what this act mandates among distributors, installers, and consumers. They have created a checklist of the standards walk-in coolers & freezers are required to meet that can be found at ACHR The News. Use this checklist to ensure the walk-in unit you are about to purchase meets the EISA standards. Read the rest of this entry »

An energy saving experiment for your grocery store.

A research study at Kettering University in Michigan investigated how to make an open refrigerated display case (like those found in grocery stores) operate more efficiently.  The study concluded that raising the temperature setting while lowering the air velocity from the refrigeration would not only provide energy savings, but the food was actually kept cooler.

Lower infiltration [of warm air] means the air is coming out at a lower velocity, said Navaz. “Previously, air came out of the upper vent (or grille) of a specific display case at 90 feet per minute. We calculated the optimal speed as 65 feet per minute as an optimal discharge air velocity to yield lower infiltration rate,” he said.

By reducing the velocity by 30 percent, infiltration was reduced by 12 percent and the power required was reduced by 13 percent.

Increasing the temperature at the discharge air grille by about 1 degree (F) and lowering the velocity of air resulted in lower suction pressure at the compressor inlet which reduced the compressor usage and therefore less energy consumption.

Infiltration represents 83 percent of the cooling load and is the biggest draw on energy of refrigerated display cases. Less energy use translates into real cost savings to the tune of about $13 million for the state of California alone, according to Navaz.

In addition to energy savings, lowering the pressure on the compressor also extends the life of the compressor and creates more cost savings over the long term.

Click here to read the entire Kettering refrigeration study.

Energy Efficient Copeland Scroll Compressors for Walk-ins

Save valuable resources with energy efficient Copeland Scroll compressors, permanent split capacitor motors and electronically commutated evaporator motors on your next refrigeration system purchase. Scroll condensing units are available for medium and low temperature refrigeration applications. The condensing units are optimized to work with HFC refrigerant R-404A, a reliable alternative to HCFC R-22. As the energy efficiency trend increases, the use of scroll compressors is a more important feature than ever before. Scroll compressors are inherently more reliable because they have significantly fewer moving parts and handle liquid slugs and debris more effectively. The scroll technology has only three moving parts, as compared to the standard hermetic compressors that have 150 plus moving parts. Scroll is effective in using less energy or amp draws verses the standard hermetic compressor. Copeland studies indicate that up to a 15% reduction in energy use is experienced for most applications. When adding the benefit of PSC motors on condensers and EC motors for evaporators, energy use will decrease. Sizing refrigeration equipment to operate for 14 to 16 hours instead of the traditional 16 to 18 hour run time will also save energy by using less kilowatts and costing less to operate compressors and motors.

Copeland Scroll Refrigeration Compressor

Read the rest of this entry »

Walk-in Cooler & Freezer Shopping Tips

Be aware when shopping for walk-ins online that you are comparing the same size box and refrigeration. Some companies are offering smaller sized refrigeration packages, which make it look cheaper upfront but may not provide you the results you are looking for.

Some systems, whether they are coolers or freezers, are designed only to hold the temperature of the product coming in and are not designed to pull-down the temperature of the product to the desired holding temperature. Pull-down happens when there is product entering the cooler or freezer that is warmer than the desired temperature and needs to cool in a short amount of time. For example, when a restaurant owner has a large pot of soup that needs to be cooled quickly to avoid bacteria growth, the refrigeration must be able to cool the soup to the desired temperature in a reasonable and safe time while maintaining the holding temperature in the cooler/freezer. Systems designed for holding only and not to pull down the temperature of the product coming in will only work properly if products entering the box are already at the desired temperature, either cold or already frozen.

The industry standard design temperature for freezers is at -10° F. Some online companies are selling their freezer refrigeration at a holding temperature of 0° F. If you try to run a walk-in designed for 0° F holding temperature and set the thermostat to -10° F, it will run constantly trying to meet the -10° F temperature it was not designed to hold. This will shorten the life of the compressor and may cause the coil to freeze and consequently warm up the box to melting temperature, damaging the food stored inside.

Before purchasing, you must understand the difference and what implications it could have on your business. Most perishable items that are stored in a freezer are not frozen to start with and will need to freeze and stay frozen for a period of time. If the box is designed for holding temperature only and is set at 0° F, the refrigeration will work harder and longer to pull the temperature inside the box back down to 0° F once warm food is stored in the freezer. Frozen products, such as ice cream, hold up better at -10° F rather than 0° F. When a freezer goes into defrost it can raise the box temperature by 10-15°. If your box is set at 0° F, a 10-15° temperature swing can cause some products to be damaged or melted. When dealing with food it is imperative to make sure the holding temperature in the freezer is low enough to keep products frozen, protecting from bacteria or other hazards that spread through food not refrigerated correctly. (Check with your local health codes for the required holding temperature of your walk-in cooler and freezer.) It is also important to note that when refrigeration is working longer and harder, your energy costs will increase as well as the chances of your refrigeration breaking down or having inefficiencies.

Every state has requirements for storing cold food; here is an example of Illinois’s Administrative Code.

California Accepts EISA Regulations

The use of energy has become a commonly discussed issue with environmental and economic concerns. Everyday a significant amount of energy is used for commercial equipment in restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, and warehouses. Prior to 2006, there had not been any set regulations on energy usage for commercial refrigeration.

California was one of the first states to set energy regulations for walk-in coolers and freezers. They previously required an envelope insulation rating of R-28 for refrigerators and R-36 for freezers. California was also one of the first to require electronically commutated motors or permanent split capacitor-type motors for refrigeration. Before more states could pose their own requirements on energy consumption, the federal EISA (Energy Independence and Security Act) agreement was signed in 2007. California has fully accepted the EISA requirements, amending their previous appliance energy code.

To review the entire California Code of Regulations, click on the link below. The walk-in cooler and freezer section starts on page 120 of the document.

http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC-400-2008-021/CEC-400-2008-021-15DAY.PDF

Defrost termination fan delay control

The defrost termination/fan delay control is a temperature-activated, single pole-double throw switch controlled with a remote sensing bulb (Fig. 1). The control can be an adjustable type. One example of the installation of an adjustable defrost termination/fan delay control is on a walk-in freezer’s evaporator (Fig. 2).

fig. 1

The control is wired into the refrigeration circuit. The control’s remote sensing bulb is located high on the evaporator where the frost is likely to clear last. The function of this temperature-activated switch is to terminate defrost when the evaporator coil has been defrosted, and to delay the evaporator fans from coming on immediately after defrost.

fig. 2

Defrost time clocks can be programmed for certain defrost duration periods. This is a time duration set at the time clock in minute increments. For example, a defrost time clock on a freezer could be programmed to defrost every six hours (four times daily), and have defrost durations of 40 minutes. However, there will be times throughout the year where the coil does not need the entire 40 minutes. These times could be from low usage of the freezer where the door openings are minimal, or when the humidity is low and not much frost accumulates on the coil. This is where the defrost termination part of the control comes into play.

Read the full article to learn how the defrost termination & fan delay systems work

Smart Defrost Kit for Walk-in Refrigeration

Make your refrigeration smart and save money by adding a Smart Defrost Kit (SDK) to your walk-in refrigeration system. SDK decreases the amount of defrost cycles in commercial walk-in refrigeration units by 30-40%. Typical electrical defrost refrigeration systems are scheduled to defrost at regular intervals, which is not always the most efficient or safe way. For applications where food safety is critical such as restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores, the SDK works to protect perishable products as well as enables refrigeration systems to operate more efficiently, ultimately saving you money. All systems are different, which is why SDK takes time to study your system and helps decrease energy costs by keeping the box temperatures consistent. The SDK works by using temperature and pressure sensors to constantly monitor the system.

Click here for more information on Smart Defrost Kits.

Check out their savings calculator that demonstrates how much money you could save by installing a Smart Defrost Kit.

Standard Nominals

Many of our potential customers may be needing a custom sized or custom designed walk-in cooler or freezer to fit their specific needs. For custom orders find a salesperson.

But those of you who don’t require a custom size can choose to buy from our selection of standard nominals through one of our authorized dealers. (find on in your area by typing in your zip code in the form below)

Sizes Include:

6′ X 6′ X 7′ 6″ Nominal (5′ 10 1/2″ X 5′ 10 1/2″ X 7′ 6″ Actual Size)

6′ X 8′ X 7′ 6″ Nominal (5′ 10 1/2″ X 7′ 10″ X 7′ 6″ Actual)

8′ X 8′ X 7′ 6″ Nominal (7′ 10″ X 7′ 10″ & 7′ 6″ Actual)

8′ X 10′ X 7′ 6″ Nominal (7′ 10″ X 9′ 9 1/2″ & 7′ 6″ Actual)

Options:

Cooler (with or without floor), Freezer (with floor)

Refrigeration:

For Indoor boxes – no refrigeration, indoor remote ref, outdoor remote ref, top mount ref, saddle mount ref (cooler only), penthouse ref

For Outdoor boxes- no refrigeration, outdoor remote ref