With rising electricity costs, running energy-efficient cold storage facilities has become a necessity across industries. Energy savings are not only great for the environment; they also help warehouses make substantial savings in their energy bills. If you’re looking to cut your cold store electricity consumption, here are four tips to help you get started.
Lighting
In a conventional cold storage warehouse, lighting makes up about ten percent of total power consumption. Traditional light bulbs produce light using heat, which makes the refrigeration unit work harder to maintain temperatures.
By doing something as simple as replacing old light bulbs and flood lights with LED lighting, you can save radically on your electricity bills and also improve the efficiency of your refrigeration plant. LEDs provide the same illumination but produce minor amount of heat. Moreover, LEDs have a much longer life compared to traditional lighting.
Plant temperature
All thermometers and other temperature control equipment need to be monitored regularly to ensure they are providing accurate temperature readings. Faulty equipment not only causes energy wastage, it can also trigger spoilage caused by wrong temperatures inside the freezing chambers.
With advanced automation fast making its way to the food processing and storage industry, cold storage temperatures can now be calibrated and maintained with greater accuracy.
Cold store employees must be educated on the adverse effects of minor changes and undesired fluctuations in chamber temperatures. For instance, unnecessarily reducing the temperature of a freezer by one degree can make a significant difference in the total energy consumption and inflate your energy bill. Temperature maintenance best practices can substantially help you control your energy costs and energy footprint.
Door design
Cold storage doors are opened and closed thousands of times every day, which not only causes the inside temperature to fluctuate, it also greatly increases the risk of contamination and spoilage. The warm outside air entering the cold store and the cold air leaking through open doors wreaks havoc on the refrigeration system. This is seen more often at cold storage plants where there is no separate loading and unloading area for products.
A simple solution to this infiltration is to install airlocks and airbags on all doors , including the chamber doors, and on airlifts. Additionally, ensure that all doors are fitted with airbags, automatic closer and high-quality door seals.
For a complete overhaul of your cold storage facility to make it more energy-efficient, seek the expertise of a cold storage automation company such as Primus Builders, which specializes in serving the distribution and food processing industry.
VFDs
VFDs or variable frequency drives can be installed onto condenser and evaporator fans in order to make them run at a lower speed. By changing the RPM of the fan, VFDs help achieve energy savings and thereby reduce energy costs.
Additionally, fitting VFDs on condenser fans helps avoid the need to turn the motor fans on and off from time to time. Using VFDs on fans, compressors and pumps is considered an effective means to save energy in temperature-controlled warehouses.