In the never-ending battle to better manage their operating costs, convenience-store retailers can get ahead by going retro. In this case, that means retrofitting their cooler and freezer doors with a series of technological innovations that have been designed to reduce energy costs while maintaining food safety and extending the operational life of refrigeration equipment.

When considering the annual cost of electricity and maintenance, plus gasket replacement every five years, the result can be as much as $2,300 in savings over a 10-year period per cooler or freezer door. On a larger scale, upgrading old and inefficient commercial cooler- and freezer-door technology can save the industry more than $480 million annually in wasted operational and energy costs as a whole. Also, 6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions can be prevented from reaching the atmosphere.

 

The latest cost-saving innovations come in three forms:

   •   Improved gasket materials: Replacing old, worn polyvinyl chloride (PVC) door gaskets with those made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that is able to more consistently hold its shape will help maintain tight door seals at cold temperatures and reduce gasket fatigue, resulting in lower energy consumption and maintenance costs.

   •   Redesigned door-close control technology: Gaskets become worn and damaged when doors that can weigh as much as 200 pounds are allowed to slam when they close; advanced door-closing technology can reduce closing force from 100 pounds to 20 pounds and eliminate the door “bounce” that can cause damage.

   •   Energy-free doors: Heat has traditionally been required to eliminate condensate formation on cooler and freezer doors, but advanced door-rail designs and the use of innovative insulating materials remove the need for heat while also ensuring that doors will not sweat.

One company that has recognized the benefits that more energy-efficient cooler and freezer doors will provide is Anthony, which has developed a series of technologies that address retailers' energy-consumption and maintenance concerns.

All three of these new technologies work in unison to lower energy costs and eradicate the formation of condensate on the doors, which not only makes merchandise unappealing but can also leak onto the floor and create a slip-and-fall hazard for customers and employees.

To encourage retailers to retrofit their cooler and freezer doors, Anthony has also created the 1+1=5 promotion. In this promotion, any retailer who purchases one next-generation gasket and door-close control will receive five years of gasket warranty.

“Retailers are constantly challenged by rising energy costs, recurring maintenance expenses and increasingly stringent U.S. Department of Energy energy-efficiency standards,” said Craig Little, president and CEO of Anthony. “To offer retailers a solution to these challenges, we have developed the LifePlus Gasket^™, Cloze Control^® door-closing technology and Eliminaator Renu no-heat doors to be simple, cost-effective retrofits for their existing cooler and freezer doors. Upgrading to these cutting-edge technologies will help retailers reduce energy usage, rein in operational costs and improve their bottom line.”

Anthony has also produced a comprehensive white paper that fully highlights the cost-saving benefits of retrofitting cooler and freezer doors with next-generation gaskets, hold-open controls and energy-free door technology.