Refrigerators are constantly running, and constantly using electricity. To reduce a refrigerator’s energy usage, focus on finding ways to decrease heat infiltration into your system and make sure all of your components are running efficiently. Also, if components are running inefficiently, they can hinder the goal of alleviating heat infiltration or simply overworking the machine causing it to draw in more energy. The best way to achieve the goal of lowering a refrigerator’s energy usage is through proper maintenance.
1. Clean Evaporator and Condenser Coils
Refrigerator coils, both evaporator coils and condenser coils, should be cleaned periodically. Dust can build up on the coils and in the fins causing the refrigerator to work harder, sometimes even doubling the cost of operation.
When hot air is unable to come into close contact with the evaporator coils because of dust buildup, then the refrigerant can’t absorb the heat from inside the refrigerator as efficiently. When condenser coils and fins are clogged, then heat can’t be released efficiently from the refrigerant. Therefore, the compressor and system will have to run longer to achieve the same desired temperature. All this would eventually lead to inefficiency, possible equipment failure, and more frequent service calls.
Clean the coils and fins quarterly, preferably deep cleaned by a professional using a cleaner and water pressure for large refrigerators and an aerosol cleaner for smaller workstation refrigerators once a year. The coils that are exposed to grease in kitchens should also be cleaned more often as the grease can build up on and between the fins and severely clog them decreasing airflow across the coil and eroding efficiency.
2. Schedule an Annual Maintenance Inspection
Commercial refrigerators, specifically large and walk-in refrigerators, should be serviced at least once a year. A maintenance inspection includes thorough cleaning of the refrigerator’s coils, checking and topping off refrigerant levels, lubricating moving parts, such as the fan motors. This helps to ensure that the refrigerator is running efficiently.
3. Maintain Refrigerator Doors
It may sound surprising, but the maintenance of the doors in commercial refrigeration systems is a critical factor in ensuring efficiency of the entire setup. Doors help keep the heat out when no one needs to get into the refrigerator and in this regard, door gaskets are key when it comes to limiting heat infiltration.
If a gasket is torn, cracked, or missing, it should be replaced. To test to see if a gasket is worn and no longer providing a tight seal, put a dollar bill between the door’s seal and see if it slips out easily. If it does, the gasket should probably be replaced.
If doors are sagging or are not aligned correctly, they won’t seal properly and can also let air into the refrigerator. Doors should be fixed to ensure there are no cracks or gaps.
If you have a walk-in refrigerator, strip curtains can help to provide an additional barrier when the door is opened. Doors are sometimes left open for loading shipments or during busy periods in a kitchen. Strip curtains can cut down the outside air infiltration by as much as 75 percent.
When there's less heat entering the system, the compressor and system can run for lesser periods of time. That means financial savings on energy bill and prolonging the lifecycle of your equipment.
4. Program Proper Defrost Settings
Having the right defrost settings will ensure that the refrigerator is running efficiently. However, running longer defrost cycles or having the system defrost more often is not necessarily a good thing for your refrigerator or energy bill.
Defrosting keeps ice from building up on the evaporator coils, allowing them to do their job. Evaporator coils tend to get frosty when moist air is introduced into the refrigerator box. When the defrost cycle begins, the evaporator coils heat up. This means more electricity is needed to heat up the evaporator coils and introduce more heat into the box. To limit this extra energy usage, set your defrost cycle to the manufacturer’s specifications; which is usually the minimum setting for your refrigerator to work as efficiently and productively as possible.
Source: W.L.Gary Company Inc
