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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CEE's Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers Initiative?
What type of equipment is addressed by this initiative?
Who uses this equipment?
How many units are currently in use?
How many new units are sold annually?
What types of solid door reach-in commercial refrigerators and freezers are available?
How do these products work?
Who are the manufacturers?
What is the distribution chain for this equipment?
What energy-efficiency specifications are available for commercial refrigerators and freezers?
What are the potential energy savings available with the CEE specifications?
What is the incremental cost for an efficient model?
What are the most common technologies/characteristics used to improve the efficiency of this type of equipment?
What organizations are promoting energy-efficient commercial refrigerators and freezers?
Is it possible that new product types will be added to the initiative?
What is CEE's Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers Initiative?
This initiative, which was launched in December 2002, addresses solid-door, reach-in refrigerators and freezers. CEE's Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers Initiative seeks to maximize the energy savings opportunity available through increased and sustained market share of efficient commercial refrigeration equipment. The California Energy Commission developed minimum standards for commercial refrigeration equipment in 2002. These standards were used as a baseline for determining the voluntary specifications adopted by CEE's Commercial Refrigeration Committee.
What type of equipment is addressed by this initiative?
CEE's Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers Initiative addresses commercial solid-door, reach-in refrigerators and freezers. A reach-in refrigerator is an upright, refrigerated case with solid doors that holds refrigerated products. A reach-in freezer is an upright, refrigerated case with solid doors that holds frozen food products. In both units, the refrigeration system is built in (packaged) and heat is rejected from the refrigeration cycle to the building interior air.
Source: Energy Savings Potential for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment, ADL 1996.
Who uses this equipment?
Restaurants account for about 80 percent of equipment purchases. The remaining purchasers of this equipment are mostly institutional (schools, churches, prisons, etc.).
How many units are currently in use?
The existing installed base of solid-door, reach-in equipment is estimated at 2.5 million units. Refrigerators make up about 60 percent of this total; the rest are freezers (combination refrigerator/freezers account for a small amount of the units).
How many new units are sold annually?
An estimated 300,000 units are sold each year. Approximately 70 percent of these new units are replacing older units. About 30 percent are sold for use in the new construction market.
Source: EPA 2003.
What types of solid door reach-in commercial refrigerators and freezers are available?
The most common solid-door, reach-in freezer is a one-door unit. Two-door units are also used extensively. The most common solid-door, reach-in refrigerator is a two-door unit; one-door units are used about half as often. The average capacity of a one-door unit is 24 cubic feet and the average capacity of a two-door unit is 48 cubic feet.
Source: Energy Savings Potential for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment, ADL 1996.
How do these products work?
For both refrigerators and freezers, the refrigeration system is located at the top of the unit. The refrigerator system in freezers is a 1/2 hp hermetic compressor, one evaporator fan and one condenser fan. Refrigerant flow is governed by a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV). Most reach-in freezers are manufactured with R22 and R-404A (HP62) refrigerants.
Reach-in refrigerators utilize a 1/3 hp hermetic compressor, two evaporator fans and one condenser fan. Refrigerant flow is governed by a capillary flow restrictor. The refrigerators usually use R-134a for refrigerant.
Source: Energy Savings Potential for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment, ADL 1996.
Who are the manufacturers?
The market is served by 85 manufacturers, producing a standard line of products (those that are less durable, lower first cost) and a specification line (more durable, higher first cost).
There are market leaders in each category of equipment. It is estimated that 80 percent of the equipment purchased is standard line. Manufacturers with the most sales in this market are True, Beverage Air, Delfield, Hobart, McCall and Glenco-Star.
The remaining 20 percent of purchases are specification line products. The market leaders for these units are Traulsen, Hobart, Victory, Delfield, Beverage Air and McCall.
The chart below shows a rough breakdown of the market share for commercial refrigerator and freezer manufacturers.
Market share of commercial refrigerators and freezers
(based on number of units sold)
| Manufacturer |
% market share
Cadmus study1 |
% market share
ADL study2 |
| True |
34 |
14 |
| Beverage Air |
21 |
10 |
| Traulsen/Hobart |
14 |
21 |
| Delfield |
8 |
10 |
| Victory |
6 |
5 |
| McCall |
5 |
Not reported |
| Randell |
3 |
Not reported |
| Continental |
3 |
Not reported |
| Williams |
1 |
Not reported |
| Others |
5 |
41 |
1Market Analysis: Preliminary Market Background Report for Commercial
Refrigerators and Freezers, Cadmus 2001.
2Energy Savings Potential for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment, ADL 1996.
What is the distribution chain for this equipment?
The distribution chain is complex due to the fragmentation of this market. Commercial food service equipment is primarily distributed through a dealer network that interfaces with food service operators on the commercial side and with food service consultants on the non-commercial side (colleges, hospitals, hotels).
Large end-users (such as a chain of restaurants or hotels) will often employ architects or engineers to provide a specification directly to the manufacturer. The specifying architect or engineer will also serve as the liaison to the manufacturer. Small "mom and pop" stores often purchase the equipment from local restaurant supply stores.
Source: Packaged Commercial Refrigeration Equipment: A Briefing Report for Program Planners and Implementers, ACEEE 2002.
What energy-efficiency specifications are available for commercial refrigerators and freezers?
In the U.S., there are three specifications available: a regulatory minimum standard developed by the California Energy Commission, ENERGY STAR®'s voluntary specification and CEE's voluntary specification.
The California Energy Commission's two-tiered specification regulates the minimum energy performance of equipment sold in California. The first tier, effective in February 2003, eliminates the bottom 25 percent of equipment (based on energy performance). The second tier, which becomes effective in March 2004, eliminates the bottom 50 percent of equipment (based on energy performance).
When ENERGY STAR's voluntary specification was launched in 2001, it identified the top 25 percent (approximately) of products on the market, based on their energy performance. With the influx of new products into the market, this percentage has increased.
CEE's specification has two tiers. The first tier is the equivalent of the ENERGY STAR specification. The second tier is 40 percent more efficient than Tier 1.
Click here for a table displaying these three specifications.
What are the potential energy savings available with the CEE specifications?
The tables below highlight the energy savings potential for refrigerators and freezers.
Estimated energy savings for
commercial refrigeration equipment
(models meeting CEE efficiency specifications)
| REFRIGERATORS |
24 cubic feet
(annual kWh) |
48 cubic feet
(annual kWh) |
| Baseline energy use* |
2,102 |
3,197 |
| CEE Tier 1 energy savings |
482 |
1,577 |
| CEE Tier 2 energy savings |
1,132 |
1,701 |
| FREEZERS |
24 cubic feet
(annual kWh) |
48 cubic feet
(annual kWh) |
| Baseline energy use* |
4,319 |
7,805 |
| CEE Tier 1 energy savings |
311 |
294 |
| CEE Tier 2 energy savings |
1,512 |
2,546 |
*California Energy Commission Tier 2 minimum standard
Source: CEE calculations.
What is the incremental cost for an efficient model?
Results from a NYSERDA study (Cool It! program, 2003) indicated that Tier 1 incremental costs were 5-8 percent while Tier 2 incremental costs were estimated at 15 percent.
What are the most common technologies/characteristics used to improve the efficiency of this type of equipment?
The technologies for improving efficiency include: efficient compressors, efficient evaporator fans, efficient condenser fans, anti-sweat heaters, electric defrost and more efficient lighting.
Source: Energy Savings Potential for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment, ADL 1996.
What organizations are promoting energy-efficient commercial refrigerators and freezers?
Six CEE members, including the three California electric IOUs, are currently promoting these products. And because the potential energy savings are significant, the number of commercial refrigeration programs nationwide is growing.
CEE's Commercial Refrigeration Initiative, which addresses solid-door, reach-in refrigerators and freezers, was launched in December 2002. By incorporating energy-efficiency measures that prescribe installation of specific technologies, CEE members are also realizing substantial savings with existing refrigerators and freezers.
The chart below summarizes the program parameters of six CEE members.
COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION
PROGRAMS BY CEE MEMBERS
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Efficiency Vermont
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California IOUs*
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NYSERDA
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Tacoma Public Utilities
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Rebates for solid-door CEE Tier 2
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Rebates for solid-door CEE Tier 1
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Refrigerator recycling
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Prescriptive measures
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On-line tools for rebates
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Contractor list of trade allies
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Education and training
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Source: Member interviews and Web accessible program information.
*Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison.
Is it possible that new product types will be added to the initiative?
Yes. CEE launched a Glass-Door, Reach-In Refrigerator Initiative in December 2003. For more information, see the Glass-Door, Reach-In Refrigerator Web page or contact CEE Program Manager Afroz Khan at 617-589-3949, ext. 208.
© 2003 Consortium for Energy Efficiency, Inc. All rights reserved.
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