Refrigeration unit manufacturer ecoFridge says that its nitrogen-powered fridge unit is almost 6% cheaper to run than a diesel-fuelled equivalent, according to independent tests.
The tests were carried out by Cambridge Refrigeration Technology (CRT) earlier this year on two identical Schmitz dual-compartment trailers belonging to retailer Asda. One was fitted with an ecoFridge
unit and the other with a regular diesel fridge from a major manufacturer.
Based on a nitrogen cost of 8p/litre and red diesel at 55p/litre, CRT's results show that the ecoFridge was some 11.5p/hour cheaper to run than the diesel unit – a saving of more than £1,000 over the course of a year. Although the two trailers 'pulled down' at a similar rate from 13.6ºC to 3ºC in less than 20 minutes.
However, the report notes: "The ecoFridge system can maintain a constant rate of cooling during pull down to low temperatures compared with the [other] system in that its cooling system slows down as the temperature decreases."
The ecoFridge unit reached -20ºC in 24 minutes, compared with the diesel unit's 34 minutes. Asda has seven ecoFridge units on trial and it is believed to be lining up a major order in the new year.
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