September 27, 2016

Energy Saving made easy

Power is becoming ever more expensive. Most professional users have resigned themselves to this fact. One of the questions we hear most often at Gastro-Cool is this: How much power does the refrigerator “eat”? Now, everybody really can determine him-/herself how much power the refrigeration equipment consumes, and this, regardless of how energy-efficient said equipment is rated.

Our everyday experience shows us that refrigerators are often not set up in the right place and are not well taken care of, and these factors combined make for an increase in energy consumption.

50% of energy saving is to find the right place to set up your refrigerator. So, never place your refrigerator next to an oven, a stove, a heater or directly in front of a window, as all this will increase ambient temperature. Then also, take care to maintain proper clearance to the wall. A refrigerator that is not properly ventilated will use up to 10% more energy. Such deficient or nonexistent ventilation can also lead to technical failure.

Save up to 6% energy and even more cash by selecting the right temperature. The best temperature in the refrigerator is 5°C. Never for any length of time set the refrigerator to the lowest temperature setting. If you are away for a longer period, defrost and turn the refrigerator off. Furthermore, we recommend that you defrost every time an ice layer of more than 1 cm thickness has formed.

Do also check door seals, ventilation slots, grids and heat exchangers. Finally, door seals are important for insulation and if these are defective there is arguably a higher heat exchange happening between room air and refrigerator. Should ventilation slots and heat exchanger be covered with dust, ventilation will not be at its best and hence the compressor will have to work more than necessary.

From a different angle: A very good advice is to sort the refrigerator content properly so that you know where things are. That means you will not have to open the door for longer than necessary. Ideally you have to open it only once. Never put hot food or beverages into the refrigerator as this increases the formation of ice in it. Do, on the obverse, put frozen food into the refrigerator for thawing. This not only makes the thawing process less harmful for the food but also it contributes cold to the refrigerator and the compressor has to work less.

Should you contemplate the purchase of new, energy-efficient cooling equipment, remember the following: Energy efficiency ratings are good for having a base value to go by, but these ratings will not tell you how energy-efficient the machine will really be in your everyday use. Use rather one big beverage cooler than two smaller ones, this will also save energy. There are many factors that influence how much energy your cooling equipment uses. Our job at Gastro-Cool GmbH & Co.KG is it to give you good advice to find the right beverage cooler for your specific needs. After all we have been using the more energy-efficient refrigerants R600a and R290a for quite a while already, instead of R134a. Also, most of our models have LED inside illumination.