14 DAY TRIAL // The Energy Department in the United States has recently announced that new energy efficiency standards for commercial refrigeration equipment are to be implemented in the country.
The Department details that these new standards are intended to make commercial refrigerators, freezers and refrigerator-freezers about 30% more efficient than they should be under existing rules and regulations.
As detailed on the Energy Department's website, the commercial refrigeration equipment that the new standards target is the one installed at food retail and food service establishments across the country.
Thus, the new efficiency goals target grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, and other establishments of this kind.
Specialists estimate that, over the next three decades, the new efficiency standards for commercial refrigeration equipment will help the country reduce its carbon footprint by as much as 142 million metric tons.
What's more, they are expected to yield major noteworthy benefits financially-wise, meaning that they should help businesses reduce their energy bills by roughly $11.7 billion (€8.47 billion).
“In our supermarkets and grocery stores, refrigeration can use almost 40 percent of total energy use – contributing a large portion of these businesses’ utility bills,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement.
“By improving the energy efficiency of commercial refrigeration equipment – like restaurant-size fridges or the deli case at your local grocery store – we can make our businesses more competitive, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money,” he added.
On its website, the United States Energy Department details that, more often than not, commercial refrigeration equipment in the country is kept up and running day in, day out.
This is because perishable products kept either on display or in storage must be kept cold constantly, it goes on to explain.
However, by being forced to operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, the average large commercial refrigerator found in a grocery store can burn an impressive 17,000 kilowatt-hours of power annually.
Large commercial freezers, on the other hand, more often than not average 38,000 kilowatt-hours of powers on a yearly basis.
According to the Energy Department, the new standards are sure to help make such units a tad more environmentally friendly than they currently are.
The Department stresses that the new efficiency standards for commercial refrigeration equipment were agreed upon in the aftermath of a series of discussions and debates with industry, consumer and environmental advocacy groups.
Should things go according to plan, the new standards will go into effect about three years after their publication in the United States' Federal Register.