Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Assessment for Refrigerated Warehouses

Refrigeration warehouses have made significant progress in both quantity and quality, which present unique dynamic characteristics in terms of building structure and operation. This paper aims to make accurate recommendations for improved operations of refrigeration warehouses based on the in-depth analysis of Energy Efficiency (EE) and Demand Response (DR) potential using an in-house simulation platform. The study discussed EE and DR measures relevant to refrigerated warehouses using an existing cooler facility in Southern California as the study case. Results showed the measured and simulated space temperature resulted in acceptable tolerance values. Moreover, the model accurately predicted a 1.5 °F temperature increase and a 157 kW demand reduction during a DR test event. The study can offer a convenient approach to analyze and improve the energy efficiency level at refrigeration warehouses.