Energy
We are fully aware that capital cost is a major concideration for the customer when making a decision to purchase a refrigeration system. We are also finding that with ever increasing energy costs, the end users are also looking at the efficiency of the equipment that they are purchasing. There are a number of factors which will influence both the running costs and the capital purchase cost and all must be taken into concideration at the design stage. Some of the design factors make good commercial sense from an energy and business point of view. One of these factors is choosing an enegy efficient compressor from the 'Enhanced Capital Allowance' (ECA) technology list. Other factors may include using larger heat exchangers to increase the compressor efficiency or looking at the most efficient refrigerant for the application. We look at all of these different options during the design stage.
To understand the impact impact of energy efficiency on the decision making process, we need to have an understanding of the 'Cost of Ownership' over the life span of the equipment. The cost of ownership can be broken down into three main areas.
1. Cost of purchase.
The cost of purchase is the cost of actually buying the equipment. This can also be broken don into two areas. A. The Capital Cost of the Plant, and B. The Cost of Installation. These are the costs presented on a quotation when the customer is looking to buy refrigeration equipment. Without an understanding of refrigeration systems, this can also be the only deciding factor when deciding which system to go for.
2. Cost of Maintenance.
This is the cost associated with 'Planned Preventative Maintenance' (PPM) and interim breakdowns. PPM is necessary for checking the operation of the system, oil & gas levels, and cleaning heat exchangers so that they are always working at their maximum efficiency. This is a very important factor in ensuring that the refrigeration system runs efficiently. Interim breakdowns are the attendance calls by the engineer when the system breaks down or fails to operate correctly.
3. Energy Running Costs.
Energy cost is the cost of powering the refrigeration equipment from the day it is commissioned and switched on untill the day it is decommissioned and removed. With very very few exceptions, refrigeration equipment is powered by electricty and is reflected in the electricity bill for running the system.
To understand the proportion of each of these areas, the above pie chart shows a breakdown of the 'Cost of Ownership' for a typical refrigeration system. This is probably one of the best visual charts of why running costs and energy efficiency must be taken into concideration when initially purchasing the the equipment.
Heat Reclaim
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