U.S. Cooler Flickr Photostream

Visit U.S. Cooler’s new Flickr photostream. Flickr is a photo and video sharing site owned by Yahoo. You can view pictures of our completed walk-ins and promotional photos. These pictures represent the wide range of custom design possibilities available for your walk-in cooler, freezer or combination unit.

USDA Grant Money for Rural Energy Improvements

Government money is available to help your small business become more energy efficient.

The USDA is now offering a grant and loan program to improve energy efficiency in rural areas. The REAP/RES/EEI (Rural Energy for America Program Grants/ Renewable Energy Systems/ Energy Efficiency Improvement Program) Grants Program will provide funds to architectural producers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficient improvements.

The program is designed to assist farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses that are able to demonstrate financial need. Small businesses that are located in rural areas can also apply. Most rural projects that reduce energy use and result in savings for the agricultural producer or small business are eligible as energy efficient projects. These include projects such as retrofitting lighting or insulation, or purchasing or replacing equipment with more efficient units. One of the main requirements of the grant program is that the new equipment must be more energy efficient than the current equipment. An ‘energy audit’ will be performed comparing the energy usage of the old equipment to the new anticipated energy efficient equipment.

Walk-in coolers and freezers qualify for this grant program. Older walk-ins are not as efficient as new units built today. Some of the recent changes in the industry include the requirement to provide higher insulation r-values and refrigeration units with EC motors, which are much more energy efficient than older units. These upgrades will prove your new equipment to be more energy efficient, which will save you money on energy costs. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

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 »

School Food Service Stimulus Package

In addition to the numerous small business grants available, the federal government has delivered a $100 million dollar food service equipment stimulus package targeted directly at public and private schools which participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and qualify (at the building level*) with a 50% or more participation in a free and reduced lunch program.

Funds have been allocated to each state education department. Funds vary by state and range from $215,000 to $12 million. The grants are competitive which means preparation is important. The window of opportunity is very narrow so this is an actionable item. The funds are intended to be dispersed within three months.

Items the schools may wish to consider include the repair, replacement or addition of walk-in coolers and freezers. Some of the reasons these qualify include: improving food safety, reducing operating costs translating into energy savings, increased storage capacity to handle expanded breakfast, lunch and snack programs. The link below contains detailed information regarding all qualifying food service equipment. A general rule of thumb is that the equipment must support the reimbursable meal program and not specifically targeted to an ala carte program.

Here is a link to the National School Nutrition Association website where school food service directors can find the most current USDA issued communication related to this process. There are links to each individual state where the food service director can view the requirements and download the required forms.

School food service directors are welcome to call on U.S. Cooler to assist with specification, sizing etc. Contact information is easily accessed via our interactive territory map.

*Participation is measured at the building level rather than the District Level. If the equipment is for a central kitchen, all buildings served by the central kitchen are listed and included in the calculation.

Get a Small Business Grant to Help Purchase Your Walk-in Cooler or Freezer

Being “green” and “energy efficient” are big advertising buzzwords today.
But besides the benefits to the environment, there are definitely good economical reasons for “going green“. There is a HUGE potential for savings on your next electric bill (you can check out our walk-in energy savings calculator). However, investing in new efficient equipment like walk-in freezers, furnaces, or stoves often present too much of an up front cost (even if they would pay for themselves in energy savings in a few years) so the purchase is delayed as long as possible. Think you can’t afford that new refrigerator or ice machine? Maybe you can with the help of your state government.

In this political environment there are many grants available for small businesses, especially when it comes to making your business more energy efficient. The following is a list of websites where you can find and apply for grants in your state (most are linked to the state’s business website but some are linked to specific energy grants). There is also an online government grant and loan search available. Different grants have different requirements and payouts (for example, some will require you to reduce energy usage by at least 20% and the state will foot 25% of the equipment bill).

Economic Development Websites:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

U.S. Cooler Saves Customers Money with Energy Efficient Walk-ins

Most walk-in coolers and freezers are purchased based upon the initial cost. What many fail to realize is that operational costs can dig deep into consumers’ pockets. U.S. Cooler is giving the Cold Storage Industry an energy efficient option by manufacturing walk-ins with extruded polystyrene insulation.

Extruded polystyrene is the most efficient insulation available on the market. Over time, extruded polystyrene resists moisture while other insulations start absorbing it. One must consider a real life application to understand moisture absorption.

Freezers normally operate at -10° F inside, but may have an exterior temperature of up to 95° F or even more. With the extreme difference in temperatures, the insulation is vulnerable to retaining moisture in the structural voids. When water starts collecting inside walk-in insulation, the R-value drops and moisture inside the insulation starts to freeze.

When moisture is absorbed and R-values start to decrease, refrigeration systems start working harder and longer to make up for the heat transferring into the walk-in. A refrigeration system working overtime means higher energy bills. By using extruded polystyrene, consumers can save that money.

Extruded polystyrene is unique; the insulation is a closed-cell product, meaning the cells of the material are so tightly packed together that moisture has a difficult time penetrating, which is optimal for moisture resistance and keeps the R-value from decreasing.

Using studies performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CREEL), U.S. Cooler demonstrated extruded polystyrene saved consumers over $5,000 in energy costs over the first five years of operation. The savings again are due to extruded polystyrene’s ability to resist moisture and to retain its R-value better than other insulators.

When buying and selling walk-ins, consider more than the initial cost of the walk-in-consider energy costs. Educate yourself about how to save money; to find out more about extruded polystyrene and energy savings, call 800.521.2665 or visit www.uscooler.com.

U.S. Cooler at the National Restaurant Association Show

U.S. Cooler will be exhibiting at the NRA Show in Chicago, May 16-19.

Since last NRA, U.S. Cooler has been busy working on new and innovative processes to reduce waste, inventory, time, and costs while increasing productivity. All of these factors together equal savings for dealers and consumers.

Providing customers with quality, affordable walk-ins in a convenient amount of time has always been U.S. Cooler’s highest priority. Earlier this year, we launched our new Hybrid panel for walk-in coolers. The hybrid panel is the best designed and engineered, competitively priced panel in the market.

U.S. Cooler, through their discount dealer program, passes savings on to consumers via the internet. Quick delivery, quality product, and competitive prices have drawn customers from across the nation to buy walk-in coolers and freezers from U.S. Cooler’s internet dealers online. Recently, prices were discounted even further, saving consumers even more money. Check out www.fastcooler.com, the internet’s best resource for discount walk-in cooler and freezer dealers.

Stop by U.S. Cooler booth 1834 to learn more about our discount internet program and how U.S. Cooler can save you money.

Walk-in Installation Tips

All U.S. Cooler walk-ins are test assembled in our plant prior to shipment. This ensures problem free on-site installation. If you have had problems setting up your walk-ins, we have some tips that may be helpful.

1. Receiving your walk-in: When your walk-in cooler or freezer is delivered by the freight company, it is critically important that you inventory the items delivered.

a. You must be sure when you sign the delivery receipt, you have received the freight in good condition and not damaged in anyway. The person signing the delivery receipt is responsible for inspecting the freight.
b. If you see any damage to the container or boxes, this is a good sign that you may have hidden damage. If you have a camera, take pictures of any damage to your freight, even before it is taken off the truck. Call U.S. Cooler and ask for Customer Service if you see a problem with your shipment. When you call, have your order number available. The order number allows us to pull up all details needed to answer your questions.
c. Insist that the driver does not leave until your satisfied all freight damage has been noted on the delivery receipt before the driver signs the delivery receipt.

2. Take time to read the instruction manual and review drawing: Before you get started take out the installation instructions and drawing package. Inventory your parts against the drawing to be sure you understand the layout. If you have any questions on how to assemble the walk-in call U.S. Cooler and ask for Customer Service.

3. Make sure your area where the walk-in will be installed is flat: Level is critical when installing a walk-in cooler or freezer. Before installation you should get an exact tolerance of the entire space you are planning to install the walk-in. The longer the box, the more important it is to have a level area. Floorless boxes should be shimmed inside the vinyl screed to prevent gaps and air infiltration. A liquid leveling compound is very useful for floors that are not completely level.
4. Threshold bar:  On all standard walk-ins, a threshold bar must be installed in the floor panel below the door panel before the door can be set in place. This allows for the door threshold to be anchored to the floor.

5. Line up top corners evenly: When installing panels, make sure the top of the panels are level with the adjacent panels before locking them in place. This ensures the ceiling fits properly on the routes and will keep the box square as the panels are being installed.

6. With the exception of PRO3 and Apex, all refrigeration units must have a condensation line run to the outside of the walk-in. When running any utilities, including those for refrigeration, drill into the wall panel; not the ceiling. After running all utilities, caulk around drilled holes. Follow all local building and electrical codes during installation.

View our Test-Assembly Webcam

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