Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
THE PRODUCT:
Commercial refrigeration equipment includes refrigerators and freezers used in supermarkets, convenience stores, and food service establishments. Commercial refrigeration equipment can either be “self-contained,” where the refrigerated case and the complete refrigeration system are combined into a single physical unit, or “remote condensing,” where the condensing unit is located remotely (typically outdoors) from the refrigerated case.
THE STANDARD:
The Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 set standards for self-contained equipment with doors and refrigerators designed for pull-down applications. The EPAct 2005 standards went into effect January 1, 2010. DOE published a final rule in January 2009 establishing standards for ice-cream freezers, self-contained equipment without doors, and remote-condensing equipment. These standards will go into effect January 1, 2012. EPAct 2005 also directed DOE to amend the standards set both by EPAct 2005 and by the DOE 2009 final rule by January 1, 2013. DOE published a preliminary analysis in March 2011.The standards for commercial refrigeration equipment are expressed in terms of kWh/day and vary based on volume or total display area.
The ASAP/ACEEE report, The Efficiency Boom, analyzed potential standards based on the levels in the DOE preliminary analysis published in March 2011 that represent the maximum cost-effective energy savings. On average, the standard levels represent savings of about 35% relative to the current standards. The average incremental cost of $480 results in a 3 year payback. The report estimated annual savings of 6.6 TWh in 2035 and net present value savings of $2.8 billion based on product purchases through 2035.
The statutory deadline for the final rule was January 1, 2013. DOE missed the deadline
KEY FACTS:
Refrigeration accounts for about 7% of the total energy consumed by commercial buildings. The current standards for commercial refrigeration equipment include separate product classes for equipment with and without doors, and the standards are much less stringent for open cases than doored cases. According to DOE’s preliminary analysis for the current rulemaking, open cases use about three times as much energy as cases with doors. Technology options for improving the efficiency of commercial refrigeration equipment include higher efficiency compressors; fan motors and fan blades; increased insulation; increased evaporator and condenser surface area; and higher efficiency lighting. Some of these technology options only apply to self-contained equipment, while others apply to both self-contained and remote condensing equipment.
Standard Projected Savings
Documents
Fact Sheets
Filings
ASAP Press Releases
Reports
Timeline
| Federal | Date | State |
|---|---|---|
| Potential Effective Date of Updated Standard | 2017 | |
| Potential Effective Date of Updated Standard | 2017 | |
| Updated DOE Standard Due | 2014 | |
| Updated DOE Standard Due | 2014 | |
| 2nd Federal Standard Effective | 2012 | |
| 2010 | NJ Standard Effective * | |
| 2010 | AZ Standard Effective * | |
| 2010 | RI Standard Effective * | |
| 2010 | NY Standard Effective * | |
| 1st Federal Standard Effective | 2010 | |
| 2nd Federal Standard Adopted (DOE) | 2009 | |
| 2008 | CT Standard Effective | |
| 2008 | OR Standard Effective | |
| 2007 | WA Standard Effective | |
| 2005 | MD Standard Effective | |
| 1st Federal Standard Adopted (Congress) | 2005 | |
| EPACT Initial Federal Legislation Enacted | 2005 | |
| 2005 | NJ Standard Adopted | |
| 2005 | WA Standard Adopted | |
| 2005 | AZ Standard Adopted | |
| 2005 | RI Standard Adopted | |
| 2005 | OR Standard Adopted | |
| 2005 | NY Standard Adopted | |
| 2004 | CT Standard Adopted | |
| 2004 | MD Standard Adopted | |
| 2003 | CA Standard Effective | |
| 2002 | CA Standard Adopted |
* State standard never went into effect due to preemption by federal standard.
Timeline reflects state standards from 2001 to present; federal standards from inception to present.
