Webinar on controversial cooler efficiencies

USA: Emerson Climate Technologies is to host a webinar on the US DOE’s controversial walk-in cooler and freezer energy efficiency ratings.

Entitled “Staying Ahead of the DOE 2017 Walk-in Cooler and Freezer Energy Efficiency Ratings,” the webinar is the tenth installment of Emerson’s Making Sense series.

This free live event will address the concerns, considerations and implications of the DOE’s ruling, which goes into effect on June 5, 2017, and will force manufacturers to re-evaluate the effectiveness of condensing unit technology, how it compares to annual walk-in energy factor (AWEF) ratings and all available design options in order to prepare systems for compliance.

The new standards have come under fire from manufacturers, with the Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) filing a petition for review in the US Court of Appeals, claiming they will “significantly impact manufacturers and consumers of this equipment”.

The rule establishes, for the first time, minimum energy efficiency standards expressed in terms of annual walk-in energy factor for various equipment classes.

The AHRI has argued that in the final rule the DOE set efficiency levels above the agency’s own determination of what the maximum technology is for some types of this equipment.

Topics to be discussed at the Emerson webinar will include a survey of existing condensing unit technology and how it compares to AWEF minimum requirements; technology and design options (eg compressors, coils, motors, modulation, controls, etc); importance of low condensing operation/floating head pressure; AWEF calculations for condensing units, unit coolers and complete systems; AWEF vs annual energy efficiency ratio and I mpacts of the EPAs recent significant new alternative refrigerant delisting proposal.

The webinar will be led by Emerson Climate Technologies experts Ani Jayanth and Brian Buynacek. Jayanth is the foodservice marketing manager for the Refrigeration Business Unit, where he guides the division’s product roadmap to meet the pending EPA and DOE regulations as well as to promote product technology serving the foodservice market segment. Buynacek is a senior refrigeration engineer with 24 years of experience and has led more than 150 client projects focused on applying advanced technologies for foodservice refrigeration.

This free webinar will take place on Tuesday, October 21, at 14.00 EDT/11.00 PDT. To register visit the Emerson website.