Insulate your refrigeration equipment

Increasing numbers of retailers and small businesses with refrigeration units are insulating them at night. This keeps the cool air in, which saves money on running costs.

• Businesses with refrigerated display units are using thermal insulation blankets and insulation curtains.
• Installing well-fitted night blinds on open systems can significantly cut down you refrigeration energy use.^[1]
• If you have fridges that are not accessed by customers, could you use insulating curtains all day? It’s an easy way to save energy and lower your bills.
• Some supermarkets now have fully-enclosed refrigeration and freezer cabinets. These use far less energy than open display cabinets and they make shopping in the fridge aisle a less chilly experience.
• Businesses with open-top chest freezers are also using ‘thermo-roller’ insulation. The ‘thermo-roller’ insulation roll is used in European supermarkets, where Dutch research shows they have a payback period of 6–8 months. In those tests, annual savings of AUS$2,430 were achieved when using a ‘thermo-roller’ on top of a 10-metre-length freezer.^[2]

If you are not yet using insulation of this kind, it would pay to talk to an insulation specialist or an EcoSmart Electrician about the options available to you.

Installing night blinds on refrigeration equipment can save a lot of energy. (Image courtesy of Coles).