How Much Energy Does a Commercial Refrigerator Use?
Saving energy not only helps reduce your commercial kitchen’s environmental impact, it can also save you money on your energy bills. Knowing how much energy your equipment uses can help you keep tabs on these costs in order to lower them while keeping your equipment running smoothly. One big energy spender in your commercial kitchen is your refrigeration equipment, so taking the necessary preventive maintenance steps to keep it operating efficiently is a must for your business.
How Much Energy Does Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Use?
According to Energy.gov, commercial refrigerators can use up to 17,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, while commercial freezers can use up to 38,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. To put those values into perspective, a typical U.S. house uses on average 10,399 kilowatt-hours per year. Considering that kilowatt-hours tie in to your energy costs, ensuring that you keep them down on your commercial refrigerators and freezers is a must.
How to Keep Commercial Refrigerator Energy Costs Down
If you’re concerned about your energy usage and costs, there are luckily a few solutions to lowering both.
Clean the Condenser Coil Regularly
Cleaning your commercial refrigerator’s condenser coil is a necessary maintenance task that should be done regularly. If your condenser isn’t properly cleaned and maintained, it can cause your refrigerator or freezer to work overtime. This, in turn, can cause your unit to use more energy to help it run.
Check Door Gaskets and Seals
Another big energy waster with commercial refrigeration are poor or broken door seals. When a door gasket has become worn, broken or doesn’t allow the door to close properly, cold air can escape through the cracks. Not only does this pose a threat to spoiling the food inside your refrigerator or freezer, but it also makes your unit run overtime to try to maintain the set temperature inside. Checking the condition of your commercial refrigerator or freezer’s door gasket can help deter any potential leaks and excessive energy usage. If you or your staff notice any cracks, wear or other abnormalities, it’s time to replace the gasket.
Use ENERGY STAR® Products
If it’s time to add or get a new commercial refrigeration unit, consider getting an ENERGY STAR®-rated one. A commercial refrigerator that’s ENERGY STAR®-certified offers significant energy savings without sacrificing any features that are needed for day-to-day operations, which will help save money and energy in the long run. Not only that, but depending on where your restaurant or commercial kitchen are located, you could even earn rebates for using ENERGY STAR® equipment.