Food & Beverage Manufacturing worked example

Refrigeration Energy Cost with refrigeration electrical load of 43 kW: a worked example in food & beverage manufacturing

Suppose refrigeration electrical load falls to 43 kW. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate refrigeration energy cost from refrigeration load, runtime, utility rate, and units processed or stored.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Refrigeration electrical load: 43 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Refrigeration runtime: 24 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.14 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Units processed or stored: 4,200 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total refrigeration energy cost = refrigeration electrical load × refrigeration runtime × blended electricity rate.
  • Total refrigeration energy cost works out to 144 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Refrigeration Energy Cost energy used works out to 1,032 kWh at these inputs.
  • Refrigeration energy cost per unit works out to 0.03 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly refrigeration energy cost works out to 6.02 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where refrigeration electrical load sits at 85 kW and the headline result is 286 $, this scenario comes in 49.41% below the baseline at 144 $.
  • Computes total refrigeration energy cost from connected load, runtime, and electricity rate, then divides by units to get cost per unit and per hour. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total refrigeration energy cost: 144 $ (headline result)
  • Refrigeration Energy Cost energy used: 1,032 kWh
  • Refrigeration energy cost per unit: 0.03 $ / piece
  • Hourly refrigeration energy cost: 6.02 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Refrigeration Energy Cost calculator, set refrigeration electrical load to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.