Importance of maintenance of condensers in refrigeration equipment.

Over 50% of total energy consumption in convenience stores in North America is attributed to  refridgeration equipment (Graph 1). ¹

Graph 1. Distribution of Energy Use in Small Commercial Food Retail Sector ¹

Moreover, dirty condenser coil increases compressor energy consumption by 30%. For instance, in a 10-tonne unit operating 2,000 hours per year, dirty coils can waste approximately $250 per year in operating costs. A technician can clean the condenser coil in about 1 hour, which typically costs about $50. In this example, the payback takes just over 2 months and delivers a net annual savings of $200. ²

Therefore, the efficient approach for reduction in energy consumption would be: focusing on the refrigeration maintenance, retrofit, or replacement within convenience stores. Due to its low cost, maintenance of existing technologies should be encouraged and provided to businesses that cannot afford to invest in retrofits. ¹

Cool Air Coil Cleaning Ltd provides such maintenance. The energy savings from our coil cleaning is: 51 kWh/yr to 1,781 kWh/yr per fridge or freezer unit, which is equal to 6$ to 213$ per unit each year. ¹

Reference.

¹ OCSA Convenience Store Pilot Project FINAL REPORT. Pg 10 – 11; 7.1. Opportunities Summary ~7.2 Step    One-Maintenance Activities.

² www.eere.energy.gov.femp Federal Energy Management Program Fact Sheet. Pg 3. Cooling Costs Impact of Dirty Condenser Coil.