Refrigeration Tips

If your business involves selling or serving food, a significant portion of your energy bill goes towards keeping the food refrigerated. To reduce refrigeration costs:

1. Add strip curtains to walk-in coolers to reduce the amount of energy lost to the surrounding air. Strip curtains used in busy kitchens can cut down on compressor run time significantly and that could save you money! As an added bonus, these curtains repel windborne contaminants like dust and pollutants.
2. Keep the temperature at the right setting. Better yet, consider installing variable speed drives which automatically adjust the level of refrigeration and are being used on the motors of all kinds of refrigeration units.
3. Consider installing a blast chiller which reduces the core temperature of food before it’s stored in a conventional cooler. In addition to chilling food effectively and efficiently, a blast chiller is crucial to complying with FDA standards.
4. Airflow is an important part of refrigeration. When the coils are clogged and dirty the compressor works harder and will fail sooner. Each month, clean your evaporator and condenser coils and check for the proper amount of refrigerant.
5. Call SDG&E about our energy efficiency services and rebates at (800) 644-6133.