The Australian Energy Crisis and How Your Refrigeration Choice Can Help

With factors such as generator shortfalls, the war in Ukraine and rising utility costs, Australia is going through an energy crisis. Businesses have already been levied with 12% increases in electricity bills, whilst gas could almost triple in price as wholesale energy prices hit businesses faster than households.

In the hospitality industry, energy can already account for up to 30% of outgoings, with this figure only likely to increase. Academic studies have shown refrigeration accounts for around 41% of a restaurant’s power bills. In food retail that figure can be even higher, accounting for up to 55-70% of the average convenience store’s power bill.

According to Sustainability Victoria, upgrading old refrigeration to the latest model can have a payback period of less than 1.5 years; meaning from then-on the significant energy savings contribute to better profitability.

Not only does commercial refrigeration impact on your power bill, but the wrong product can also be a high contributor towards global warming and the climate change crisis. According to E3, commercial refrigeration accounts for almost 4% of all emissions in Australia and 6% in New Zealand.

It is then important to be informed when it comes to choosing your commercial refrigeration, to ensure that it is both energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

So, how do I know what I should be looking for? Let us explain.

When looking for energy efficient and environmentally friendly refrigeration, it’s important to know about Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS). While you can find out more here, in short, GEMS regulates energy efficiency and environmental performance in commercial settings. Products that are GEMS compliant reach a high standard of efficiency, giving you peace of mind with your purchase. To make things easy, the full SKOPE range is fully GEMS compliant. 

When you’re looking at GEMS, what’s important is:

1. Pack Temperature indicates the type of product the refrigerator is designed to hold – look for M1 for food, dairy or other perishables for fridges and L1 for freezers.  A product that is M2 (or L2) in a freezer is unlikely to be practical for either food or beverages.
   
2. Climate Class indicates the environments refrigerators are designed to operate. If you are looking for storage refrigeration in a commercial kitchen we would recommend Climate Class 5 (40^oC & 40% Relative Humidity), because kitchens regularly get above 30^oC (Climate Class 4). Glass-door fridges can only be GEMS rated to Climate Class 3 (25°C / 60% humidity); even though SKOPE products can still merchandise cold products at 40^oC.
3. Then, once you’ve figured out your requirements, find the models with the lowest Total Energy Consumption (TEC). With this figure you can work out the estimated annual energy cost by multiplying the TEC figure by 365 (days in a year) and the cost per kW of energy (ie. 0.30c).

 For more information, check out the below video that demystifies GEMS in under 4 minutes. While from 2020, most of the content is still relevant.

The refrigerant type matters too...

When it comes to looking for environmentally friendly refrigeration, another thing to look at is the type of refrigerant gas the model uses. You should be looking out for Hydrocarbons like R290, a natural refrigerant with virtually zero impact on global warming - read more here.

Most of the SKOPE product range has now made the move to R290 natural refrigerant – just look out for the icon.

Some of SKOPE’s most environmentally friendly and energy efficient models are:

• ActiveCore range
• BackBar range
• ReFlex range
• ProSpec Range
• ITV Ice Maker Range

In summary, while we’re facing an energy crisis and the effects of climate change, there is plenty that you can do simply by being more informed with your choice of commercial refrigeration – and make an impact on at least half of your power bill!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our friendly SKOPE team, or get in touch with a Stockist near you.

References:

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/energy-efficiency-and-reducing-emissions/in-a-business/by-sector/energy-efficiency-in-hospitality
https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/energy-bill-shock-hits-industry-20220525-p5aofp

*While SKOPE uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up to date information on the website, it makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy or completeness. SKOPE is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. The information does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation or arrangement by SKOPE or its affiliates or any other party involved in the website and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any decisions based on such information. You must make your own decisions on whether or not to rely on any information posted on the website.