Professional Refrigeration Product Guide

Professional refrigeration

Background

Professional refrigeration is the most recent product category to have Ecodesign and Energy Labelling regulations brought in, and the first non-consumer category. As with all products covered by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling, significant energy-saving potential was identified in preparatory studies for this product group from setting minimum performance limits and encouraging the market to innovate, as well as phasing out non-eco friendly refrigerants.

Scope

Topten UK provides listings of professional refrigeration products rather than commercial refrigeration.

Professional refrigeration is the type that would be found in places like hotels, bars and catering businesses, and includes such products as:

• Professional storage refrigerators and freezer
• Blast cabinets
• Condensing units
• Process chillers

Topten UK currently only includes storage refrigerators and freezers in its lists.

Commercial refrigeration does not currently have Ecodesign and Energy Labelling regulations in place, although these are currently in development. Products within the scope of commercial refrigeration would typically be found in supermarkets and other retail spaces, and would include:

• Chilled display cabinets
• Ice cream freezers
• Beverage coolers
• Refrigerated vending machines

The Energy Label for Professional Refrigeration

The Energy Label for storage refrigerators and freezers applied from 1st July 2016, as a result of EU Regulation 2015/1094. It gives the following information:

• Energy Rating, on a scale of A to G (an A+++ to G scale is also available), based on an Energy Efficiency Index
• Annual energy consumption, in kWh per annum
• Total net refrigeration or freezer volume
• A climate class (3, 4 or 5) together with the associated dry bulb temperature (in °C) and the relative humidity (in %).

Ecodesign

Regulation 2015/1095 sets out ecodesign requirements for professional refrigeration, and also applied from 1st July 2016. Key requirements under this regulation include:

• Minimum G-class on the market from 1st July 2016
• Minimum F-class on the market from 1st January 2018
• Minimum E-class on the market from 1st July 2019

Energy savings at stake

Whilst it is early days for regulation of this product group, there are significant savings possible from improving the energy performance of professional refrigeration, a significant energy user for catering and hospitality businesses.

In 2012, it was estimated that professional refrigeration in the EU consumed 116.5 TWh, estimated to increase to 134.5 TWh in 2020 and 154.5 TWh in 2030. Setting minimum performance limits and removing the worst performing products from the market is expected to save 6.3 TWh per year by 2020 and 15.6 TWh per year by 2030, compared to taking no action.

Most efficient versus least efficient

As an example, we've compared a currently available G-rated, 2-door storage refrigerator with a similar D-class model, which are currently among the most efficient on the market for this type of product.

Resources

• ProCold project
• Procold procurement guidelines
• Coolproducts campaign - pages on professional refrigeration