Independent Testing for Supermarkets and Commercial Refrigeration
Equipment Manufacturers
 In addition to numerous private tests in supermarket chains and
in the labs of OEM refrigeration manufacturers, ECONOFROST night
blinds have been tested
by TUV (Technischer Uberwachungs-Verein Rheinland E.V., equivalent to the UL
in the United States and the CSA in Canada) and by Southern California
Edison.
These tests confirm that ECONOFROST
refrigeration case night covers will provide daily
savings.
TUV Refrigeration Energy Saving Report
Engineers at Technischer Uberwachungs-Verein Rheinland E.V. (TUV)
compared the amount of power consumed by an open refrigerated display
case
versus
a refrigerated case covered by ECONOFROST
case shields.
In the ten days that the refrigerated case was unprotected, it
consumed 0.7 Kwh per hour. When ECONOFROST was deployed for ten days,
the refrigeration unit consumed 0.44 Kwh
per hour. The energy saved by using ECONOFROST display case blinds
was 0.259 Kwh per hour, or 37% per operating hour.
Detailed Report (pdf file)
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Southern California Edison Supermarket Refrigeration Report
 Southern California Edison's Refrigeration Technology and Test Center
conducted tests with open refrigeration display cases and concluded
that ECONOFROST aluminum thermal shields reduced energy
use and
lowered operating costs, allowing supermarkets to increase their
profits.
Refrigeration load was
reduced by 8.5% with night use of ECONOFROST, and by 41% when
the shields were closed for the day. The compressor power of the
refrigeration
unit was reduced by
9% when the case covers were closed for six hours, and
by 36% when they were closed for 24 hours.
Use of ECONOFROST night shields lowered the average product temperature
by 5° F on the bottom shelf of the display case, and by 3° F
on the upper shelf. Products remained at these cooler temperatures
for up to 15 hours after the case covers were opened.
The temperature
of the air discharged during the defrost cycle was much lower also,
indicating that ECONOFROST maintained stable product temperatures.
The amount of heat sent to the condenser decreased by 7.4% during
night
use,
and
38.7%
after holiday use, suggesting that when new equipment is purchased
for new construction or renovations, the size of condenser
units can be reduced if ECONOFROST are used regularly.
Detailed Summary (pdf
file)
Full Report
(pdf file): Effects of the Low Emissivity Shields
on Performance and Power Use of a Refrigerated Display Case.
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ASHRAE Energy Saving Report for Commercial Refrigeration
 In this report of the open refrigeration display case tests conducted
by the Refrigeration Technology and Test Center at Southern California
Edison,
the authors
conclude
that low emissivity night covers made
from aluminum reflect radiant and convective heat and are
thus
effective thermal barriers for refrigerated cases.
Closing the ECONFROST refrigeration shields
resulted in average daily product temperatures that were 1.7° C
(upper shelf) and 2.8° C (bottom shelf) lower
than when
the shields were raised.
When the night blinds were lowered for extended periods of time,
the refrigeration load and power use were reduced, the
compressor operated at a slower speed, and less refrigerant flow
was required to maintain the temperature setting of the display case.
Full report (pdf file): Faramarzi, Ramin T. and Woodworth-Szleper,
Michele L. "Effects of Low-E Shields on the Performance and Power
Use of
a Refrigerated Display
Case." ASHRAE
Transactions 1999,
v. 105, pt. 1. CH-99-4-5.
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Emissivity Report Presented at Polytechnic of the South Bank, London
Radiated heat from the warm air in grocery stores accounts for 95%
of the heat transfer into open refrigerated merchandisers, and causes
products at the front of the case to be 7° C to 8° C (12° F to 15° F)
warmer than products at the back of the case.
Aluminum
was
found
to
be 20 times
more
effective than
plastic, linoleum, and
plastic
film
at
reflecting
radiated heat
from
open
refrigerated
display cases. This resulted in stable temperatures within the
display case, and extended shelf life of merchandise within the case.
The presenters concluded that energy savings in electricity consumption
could be as high as 41% when aluminum heat reflective night covers
are
used
to
protect
open refrigerated display cases.
Summary (pdf file)
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