Technology
Installation
Review
A case study on
energy-efficient
technologies
prepared by the
New Technology
Demonstration Program
Energy Savings in Refrigerated Walk-in Boxes
Results of an assessment of a technique for saving energy in refrigerated
walk-in coolers
Introduction and
Background
The purpose of this Technology
Installation Review is to provide an
overview of the results of an assess-
ment of a technique for saving energy
in refrigerated walk-in coolers, and to
evaluate the potential for this technol-
ogy in Federal facilities. The focus
of this study was on a single manu-
facturer of the technology, Nevada
Energy Control Systems, Inc. (Necsi);
no other vendors for this technology
could be found.
Previous studies were inconclusive
about the overall efficacy of this
technique due to uncertainties in a
number of areas.[1] Previous evalu-
ations also lacked the benefit of the
results from recent manufacturer
sponsored tests and did not address
some fundamental issues about the
overall efficacy of this technology
that are critical to understanding its
potential. The primary objective of
this assessment was to determine if
the previous studies combined with
recent vendor sponsored test results
substantiate the manufacturer’s claims
that this is a cost effective energy
saving technique with significant
potential in Federal facilities. Sec-
ondary objectives included evalua-
tion of intangible benefits such as
equipment life and reliability issues,
and humidity and airflow effects on
product.
Technology Description
Walk-in boxes are used in a wide
variety of applications but their use
in food sales and service facilities
dominates all other uses (see market
size discussion below). There are
two major classes of walk-ins: low
temperature (-10 to -20°F) and
medium temperature (-10 to 30°F).
In most cases the panels, refrigera-
tion components and controls are
ordered separately and assembled
on site by local refrigeration con-
tractors. Some smaller units are
supplied fully assembled. Sizes are
typically