Selecting & monitoring refrigeration contractors

-Stephen Gill

Energy Efficient Solutions

IOSH Food and Drink Group – Managing ammonia refrigeration in the food industry 25th June2008

Presentation Contents:Selecting & monitoring refrigeration contractors

• Why bother?

• Where to go for help

• Some specific issues

• What do refrigeration plants and cars have in common?

What happens when things go wrong?

Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency

Cost of refrigeration

Equipment and installation

Service and maintenance

Energy

Prepared to take the risk?- is reliability an issue to you

Where to go for help

• List of specialist consultants

• Technical publications – codes and guides

• Membership!

IoR Technical Updates

IoR Technical publications

Trade magazines

Trade magazines

• ACR Today (www.acrtoday.co.uk)

• ACR News (www.acr-news.co.uk)

• RAC magazine (www.racexhibition.com )

• Consulting Engineer (www.consultingengineer-

HVACR.co.uk)

Appointing and managing refrigeration Contractors - Guide

Selecting a refrigeration contractor- the process

Decisions: contract type, inclusions, budget

Pre tender questionnaire and screening

Selection criteria, interview, appointment

A working partnership

Selecting a refrigeration contractor- contract type, inclusions, budget

• Take your time• Prepare a full specification

– emphasise energy efficiency, reliability, safety

• Decide what should be included– e.g. capital works

• Contract duration– e.g. 3 years rolling

Selecting a refrigeration contractor- Pre tender questionnaire and screening

• Does the contractor:– understand the link between service &

maintenance and efficiency – understand the link between refrigerant and

efficiency– have an environmental policy which includes

energy efficiency improvement– have a refrigerant management policy, an

appropriate health and safety policy– employ qualified / experienced engineers and

provide them with appropriate equipment

Selecting a refrigeration contractor- Selection criteria, interview, appointment

• How would they devise the maintenance schedule?

• Do they have a track record of efficiency improvements?

• How would they improve efficiency/safety/reliability on your site?

Selecting a refrigeration contractor- A working partnership

• Listen to their recommendations– existing and new plant

• Staff training

• Audit their work

• KPI - energy consumption - refrigerant usage - number of breakdowns

Is your refrigeration contractor appropriate for your type of plant?

Other issues- health and safety in plant-rooms

• Where is your refrigeration plant located?• Is the lighting adequate?• Do you send service engineers in there alone?

Other Issues- Specifications

• Does it simply list regulations and directives?

• Does it make responsibility clear?

• Important elements can easily fall between the owner and the contractor

Recap:

• The reliability of your refrigeration plant is essential to your business.

• Selecting the right contractor for you can save you £’s

• Don’t leave the selection and monitoring to chance

And finally

• Although the theme today is ammonia refrigeration, is it essential that all users of refrigeration systems are aware of the forth-coming R22 phase-out

• When selecting and monitoring contractors ask them for their advice for any non-ammonia systems that you have.

• If they don’t provide any – seek it elsewhere.• Don’t leave it too late.• F-Gas

Thank you for listening

Stephen Gill

Energy Efficient Solutions

steve@energyefficientsolutions.co.uk