For businesses in the frozen food market, energy costs are a major expense. Reducing the electricity used in storage facilities directly impacts the bottom line, making it a top priority for owners and operators. Cold storage operators who make the move to an innovative thermal energy storage system will realize significant cost savings, enhanced product monitoring, and protection for low temperature cold storage.
Frozen Gourmet, a dedicated Nestlé facility and a leading ice cream distribution company in California, recently installed a Viking Cold Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system and reduced energy consumption by over 27%.
The patented Viking Cold TES system was installed at the end of 2016, and Frozen Gourmet quickly realized significant energy savings. Since the beginning of 2017, the facility has reduced energy consumption by over 45,000 kWh, a number that continues to grow each month. In addition, the passive TES system stores energy at night for use during the day, shifting more compressor runtime to evening hours. This enables greater efficiency during periods of time with lower ambient .
“Reducing energy consumption by 27% in a low temperature space is now possible with our passive Thermal Energy Storage system,” said James Bell, CEO of Viking Cold Solutions. “This technology is revolutionizing energy efficiency in the freezer space while helping to better protect the food with intelligent controls and sensors. There’s simply no other option available in the low temperature space that combines efficiency, load management, and lasts the life of the freezer.”
But reduced energy consumption and cost savings are only part of the story. The Viking Cold Energy Management System monitors and optimizes the existing refrigeration equipment, allowing Frozen Gourmet to maintain more stable internal freezer temperatures. Daily performance reports and alarm notifications alert operators of temperature abnormalities, mechanical equipment failure, or power outages.
“We searched for a year to find the right technology to reduce our energy costs and decided to purchase the Viking Cold TES system after seeing the capability and flexibility the system provides,” said Bill Kohn, CEO of Frozen Gourmet. “The reduction in energy consumption has improved our bottom line and the real-time monitoring has been invaluable in helping us recognize and address equipment issues before expensive problems arise.”
In short, the passive TES solution stores energy, reduces electricity consumption, reduces demand during peak periods, reduces equipment runtime, monitors the facility, and provides thermal backup protection. Viking Cold systems have already saved operators over 8,600 MWh of energy, reduced their carbon footprint by over 4,670 metric tons, and prevented more than $13 million of product loss.
See how another customer of ours, San Diego Food Bank, energy savings positively impacted the business.
And to learn more about Viking Cold Solutions™, contact us today!