Plant Utilities worked example
Refrigeration Energy per Unit with refrigeration system power draw of 190 kW: a worked example
Push refrigeration system power draw up to 190 kW and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when reviewing refrigeration energy per unit for a utility budget, maintenance priority, capacity check, energy project, or production support plan.
The inputs for this scenario
- Refrigeration system power draw: 190 kW (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 75)
- Refrigeration compressor runtime: 168 hr (unchanged)
- Electricity rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (unchanged)
- Units cooled or frozen: 42,000 units (unchanged)
Working through the calculation
- Applying the documented formula (Total refrigeration energy per unit cost = refrigeration system power × refrigeration runtime × electricity rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
- At this operating point the engine returns 3,830 $ for total refrigeration energy per unit cost, the number this scenario is built around.
- At this operating point the engine returns 31,920 kWh for refrigeration energy per unit energy used.
- At this operating point the engine returns 0.09 $ / unit for cost per production unit.
- At this operating point the engine returns 22.8 $ / hr for hourly refrigeration energy per unit cost.
How this compares with the baseline
- Against the tool's baseline example, where refrigeration system power draw sits at 75 kW and the headline result is 1,512 $, this scenario comes in 153% above the baseline at 3,830 $.
- It computes the total electricity cost of running a refrigeration system over a period and divides that by the number of units cooled or frozen to give cost per unit. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.
Results at a glance
- Total refrigeration energy per unit cost: 3,830 $ (headline result)
- Refrigeration Energy per Unit energy used: 31,920 kWh
- Cost per production unit: 0.09 $ / unit
- Hourly refrigeration energy per unit cost: 22.8 $ / hr
Run it with your numbers
- Every input above is editable in the live Refrigeration Energy per Unit calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.