The MSX Temperature Monitoring System was recently installed at 4 Square Kawakawa.
The equipment being monitored included;
Storage Coolrooms and Freezer room
Meat, Dairy and Produce Open front Multi-decks
Remote glass door Liquor and Drinks chillers
Remote 10 door display freezer and Novelty icecream freezers
MSX also installed an ambient temperature and humidity sensor inside the store to monitor the store environment.
Commercial refrigeration performance and efficiency can be significantly reduced when equipment is working outside its design envelope. The normal test conditions for open front multi-deck cabinets in particular is a maximum of +25C and 65% RH (relative humidity)
Many convenience stores and supermarkets in New Zealand aren’t air conditioned so this is a significant factor in the temperature and energy efficiency performance of the equipment.
Kawakawa is an iconic store built in the 1930’s. It’s un-air conditioned with wide access openings between the main shop area and back of house storage.
Once the MSX system was installed and alarm limits were set for each refrigeration system, we quickly realised that warm air infiltrating into the store was having an adverse effect on the performance of the open multi-deck cabinets in particular.
We recommended fitting PVC strip curtains to the door openings leading to the storage area and the storage coolroom and freezer room doors.
The improved performance of the refrigeration has been dramatic. The multi-deck cabinet refrigeration systems now run for a shorter periods to maintain temperature and there is significantly less temperature loss during loading and unloading of the coolrooms and freezer room.
The improved store environment translates directly into the refrigeration equipment running more efficiently therefore significantly reducing energy costs.
The need for PVC Strip curtains identified by the use of the MSX Temperature Monitoring system will quickly pay for themselves.
In summary since MSX was installed the store is now;
More energy efficient, saving power and prolonging the life cycle of the refrigeration systems and by staying cooler and less humid it provides a much better shopping experience for their customers.