Dairy & Frozen Food Manufacturing worked example

Refrigeration Energy Cost at 58% share of load assigned to this product or line: a worked example in dairy & frozen food manufacturing

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop share of load assigned to this product or line to 58%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate refrigeration energy cost for chilled dairy rooms, blast freezers, spiral freezers, cold storage, or frozen-food tunnels.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Refrigeration energy use for the period: 100 kWh or ton-hr (held at the documented default)
  • Electricity or refrigeration cost rate: 45 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Share of load assigned to this product or line: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
  • Fixed demand charge or utility adder: 250 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Allocated refrigeration energy cost = refrigeration energy use or load × cost rate × assigned share.
  • Total refrigeration energy cost works out to 2,860 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Refrigeration cost per energy unit works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Allocated refrigeration energy cost works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed demand or utility adder works out to 250 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of load assigned to this product or line sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to share of load assigned to this product or line, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a flat cost rate and a fixed allocation share, so it will misstate cost under time-of-use tariffs or when load share shifts with ambient temperature and product mix.

Results at a glance

  • Total refrigeration energy cost: 2,860 $ (headline result)
  • Refrigeration cost per energy unit: 28.6 $ / piece
  • Allocated refrigeration energy cost: 2,610 $
  • Fixed demand or utility adder: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Refrigeration Energy Cost calculator, set share of load assigned to this product or line to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.