Actron Air Tri-Capacity air conditioners delivered significant energy savings in a comparative study of two Brisbane-based retail big box stores, each featuring different cooling technologies.
Cooling big box retail spaces efficiently can be extremely challenging, given their size, layout and typically exposed ceilings. However, Actron Air’s Tri-Capacity air conditioning units installed at a major retailer’s site in Brisbane displayed significant energy efficiency gains over comparable two-stage equipment installed by competitors.
The independent study was conducted in 2014 at two big box retail stores located in Rocklea and Browns Plains, both stores having been commissioned within an 8-month period and located just 12km apart. The field testing and energy analysis involved comparing each store’s packaged unit technologies; while the Rocklea store had installed 11 units of Tri-Capacity air conditioners, the Browns Plains store featured 10 units of two-stage fixed speed AC belt drive technology.
Conducted over a 43-day period, the study revealed that the store with Tri-Capacity technology had total energy consumption savings of 31% with energy savings of 10% to 50% achieved on a daily basis.
Using regression analysis and weather data for the region, Ecosave, an independent energy company projected annual energy consumption savings of up to 37% versus conventional two-stage fixed speed AC technology. This translated to projected savings of $407,891 based on $0.15/kWh pricing over a 15-year lifecycle.
This real-world, data energy analysis shows that operational savings offered by Actron Air’s Tri-Capacity series air conditioners are significant in new builds, retrofits and end-of-life replacement projects.
