Earth Day is coming up this month, so we at Borgen Merchandising Systems thought it would be a great time to reflect on the ways in which we can do our part to take care of the environment and conserve energy. Borgen is always improving our process and products to make them more energy efficient. High-efficiency refrigeration systems are not only good for the environment, but they’re also a great investment in lower operational costs. In this two-part blog series, we’d like to share with you several small adjustments we’ve made across our refrigerators and freezers that have a large impact on your store’s overall energy efficiency and improved profit margins.
Refrigerated Door Cases and Freezers: Hydraulic Cylinder Closure
Problem: Store owners noticed that when the door to one refrigerated case shut, the doors on the adjacent cases would pop open. Sometimes the doors on these adjacent cases would not shut properly for an extended period of time, which resulted in wasted energy and higher costs to keep the product in the cases cooler.
Solution: Borgen developed a door case with hydraulic cylinder closures to improve energy efficiency. When consumers release the door after selecting a product, the door snaps back quickly to reduce the amount of time the case is open. Once the door is about ⅓ of an inch from closing all the way, the hydraulic cylinder system slows the door down so that it closes gently without disturbing the adjacent cases. This seemingly minor adjustment can make a world of difference in a grocery store’s energy costs.
The night shade for bakery cases is a cost- and energy-efficient solution for retailers to keep merchandise cool without wasting energy after business hours.
Bakery Freezers and Refrigerated Cases: Night Shade
Problem: Deli and bakery products must be displayed and stored at cold temperatures so that they do not spoil. When customers aren’t shopping after business hours, such as during the night, keeping refrigerated merchandising systems running can become very costly for retailers.
Solution: The state-of-the-art deli and bakery cases from Borgen have a night shade option. When the store is closing at night or if the bakery department is closing down for the day, the shade can be pulled down to cover the product and keep the cool air in. Merchandise stays fresh and appealing, and energy isn’t wasted after hours when customers are not perusing product.
Refrigerated Case Insulation: Triple-Pane Glass
Problem: Double-pane glass consists of a thin layer of inert insulating gas in between two pieces of glass. In refrigerated cases with double-pane glass, a heat element is required to prevent the glass from fogging.
Solution: Borgen engineers cases that use triple-pane glass, with two layers of inert insulating gas sandwiched between three panes of glass. This added layer is more effective at sealing out moisture and maintaining cool temperatures within the case, thereby eliminating the need for a heating element to prevent fogging. Borgen’s triple-pane glass needs no heating element, therefore retailers can enjoy lower energy bills without hindering their customers’ shopping experience.
The Gravity+ refrigerated display case from Borgen uses convection coils instead of fans to cool meat product, making the case more energy efficient without drying out the food.
Gravity+ Case Innovations: Surrounding Convection Coils
Problem: Gravity cases are meant to use convection to uniformly cool merchandise, and are especially critical to utilize on meat and seafood products. Other gravity case manufacturers use fans within the case to circulate the cold air; however, this makes the unit less efficient and eventually will dry out the product.
Solution: In true gravity fashion, Borgen’s Gravity+ refrigerated case has coils both above and below the product to maintain uniform cooling. When the air starts to warm, it rises to the top of the case where it is cooled by the upper coils before falling back down to cool the product below and begin the cycle again. This system does not require any fans, which also makes the case more energy efficient. No forced air means products do not dry out and no energy is wasted.
Precision and attention to detail are what make refrigerated cases from Borgen Merchandising Systems stand out among other supermarket cases. To find out more ways Borgen makes its commercial coolers energy efficient and environmentally friendly, stay tuned for Part 2 of our energy efficiency series.