Principle Deliberations Before Purchasing Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
Posted on: 28 March 2020
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Once you begin contemplating cold storage options available for your business, you will find you have a multitude of solutions to choose from, and this can make it challenging for a newbie to discern which option will be best. Considering that commercial refrigeration equipment will present a new overhead cost for your business, the first thing you should do is determine how the various options will increase your operational costs so that you can determine what will be the most affordable long-term solution. Check out the following principle deliberations that you should make before purchasing commercial refrigeration equipment.
What will your business's cooling needs be?
Investing in energy-efficient cold storage does not automatically mean that you purchase the largest commercial refrigeration equipment. Instead, the size of the equipment should correspond with your immediate cold storage needs. The first factor to be considered is the product load. In simple terms, product load refers to why you need the commercial refrigeration equipment in the first place such as to keep perishable food in good condition, to keep beers chilled or to maintain specific temperatures for certain medications. Once you have determined your product load, you should then establish the parasitic load that the equipment will be under.
The parasitic load refers to external processes that are not directly associated with your cooling needs but will influence the cooling capacity of your commercial refrigeration equipment. Parasitic loads that you may have to take into consideration include the heat emitted by lighting in the room the equipment is located, the heat emitted by motors and so on. Having a concise idea of both the product and parasitic loads ensures that you invest in commercial refrigeration equipment that will be energy efficient as it will not be vulnerable to considerable loss of energy.
What will ownership cost you in the long run?
As stated earlier, commercial refrigeration equipment will intrude a new overhead cost for your business. Thus, do not make the presumption that your only expense will be the initial purchase of the equipment. To determine if the cost of ownership will fit into your budget, you need to consider several additional factors. First, you should establish what the installation costs would be. Some units are complex to install, whereas professionals can install others in a short time. Take note that professional installation is critical to avoid premature breakdowns.
Second, you need to establish how much maintenance will cost you over the years. Standard commercial refrigeration units will not require labour-intensive maintenance and will need to be serviced perhaps annually unlike robust, heavy-duty units. Nonetheless, you need to ensure that you are monitoring the functioning of the equipment so signs of a potential problem are caught early.