Flex Your Power, California's statewide energy-efficiency marketing and outreach campaign, offers several no-cost and low-cost tips for reducing the operating costs for process cooling and refrigeration systems.

No Cost

• Consider load shifting during periods of high-energy use and/or using thermal storage during periods of low-energy use to reduce the total energy demand.
  
• Eliminate heat losses from leaks and improper defrosting. This action can reduce refrigeration system energy use by 10 to 20 percent.
  
• Freeze products in batches rather than continuously. This measure can reduce freezing process energy use by up to 20 percent.

Good Investment

• Add evaporator capacity to reduce evaporator approach temperature and raise suction pressure.
  
• Install a thermosyphon cooling system to cool the compressor oil.
  
• Install additional condensing capacity to reduce discharge pressure. Reducing condenser pressure by 10 psi can decrease refrigeration system energy use per ton of refrigeration by about 6 percent.
  
• Installing variable speed drives in place of constant speed drives can reduce cooling system energy use by 30 percent to 50 percent, depending on load profile.
  
• Insulate cooler/freezer area.
  
• Invest in mechanical subcooling - an effective method of cooling liquid refrigerant below saturation pressure in order to increase system capacity and improve efficiency. Energy savings can be achieved up to 25 percent.

For more information or to download a brochure with more energy-saving ideas, visit www.fypower.org.

Links

• Flex Your Power