Case & Sons cuts energy use by 42% with modified refrigeration system

A management review at their Wiveliscombe site showed that the central refrigeration system was consuming over 50% of all electricity used on site.

To cut usage, the company installed a system that pumped refrigerant to “the evaporators which would provide quality refrigerant to the expansion valves, allowing them to control correctly”.

In addition, the modified system meant that discharge pressure could be reduced and suction pressure optimised to improve efficiency.

Benchmarking of the energy consumption prior to modification showed that the refrigeration system was consuming an average electrical consumption of 155kw/hr or 1,357,800 kWh / year, which represented an annual energy cost of £108,000.

Monitoring consumption, since the modification of the system, has shown a reduction of 89kw/hr, an annual cost saving of £46,000 and a reduction in carbon emissions of 320 tonnes/year.

Chief engineer of refrigeration specialists Excalibur Energy, who carried out the modification, Des House, said that the project revealed challenges due to the age of the equipment.

“These had been tackled in a methodical manner and the modified system is not only operating at reduced energy consumption but the quality of refrigeration has also been improved,” added House.

Leigh Stringer