Five Steps for Fridge Manufacturers to Boost Efficiency, Understand Costs

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has recently released a five-step methodology for refrigerator manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of their products, and forecast the net benefits and costs associated with those improvements.

The methodology is targeted at manufacturers of domestic and commercial refrigerators in emerging economies, which stand to gain the most from making these improvements, according to the research conducted for the project.

In a brochure available on UNIDO’s website, the five main steps are outlined.

1. Check your potential energy efficiency gains.

The first step involves estimating your company’s “Manufacturer Development Index” value. This value is used to evaluate typical incremental capital and operating costs associated with energy efficiency upgrades.

2. Download the tool.

The second step involves downloading the free Commercial Refrigeration Analysis (CERA) software tool, originally developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and refined by the U.S. Department of Energy. CERA uses available data to run simulations and calculate net benefits and costs for product changes and upgrades.

The software is available free for download on UNIDO’s GitHub page.

3. Learn how to gain net benefits.

Once CERA is downloaded, manufacturers can then perform the associated technical and financial evaluations for product designs.

4. Make the simulation.

Once step three is complete, manufacturers then collect data from within their company (cabinet design dimensions, system controls, sealed system design information, etc.) to run simulations.

The results will show a “visual modelling” of the changes in components and “the benefit in energy efficiency and the cost involved in doing so.”

5. Assess the benefits of change.

Finally, these results can be downloaded in order to “provide a solid and accurate basis for discussions within the manufacturer company, between its engineers, strategic leaders, marketers, production and financial units, and the management.”

CERA Webinar

A webinar showing how to use the CERA software was held on July 22. See the full recording on Youtube here.

The webinar featured Dr. Omar Abdelaziz, Assistant Professor of Thermofluids at Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza, Egypt, as the main speaker. During the introduction, Dr. Iino Fukuya, Department of Environment – UNIDO, said, “I truly hope [these green refrigeration design tools and cost guidelines] encourage the manufacturing companies who are participating in this webinar to take practical energy efficiency actions in emerging economies.”