Top Liquors

In certain industry types, we usually know right away when we walk into a small business whether or not we’ll be able to offer them some energy-efficiency help. NRM has optimized thousands and thousands of walk-in coolers and freezers over the last 25 years, and you tend to see the same things over and over. Liquor stores—like Top Liquors in Roslindale, MA—tend to be that type of industry.

The first indication is usually the evaporator fans. Walk-in coolers and freezers that are ten years old or older typically have evaporator fans that run 24/7. Whether the business is open or not, or whether they’re actively generating profits at the moment or not, the fans are on and running. This, of course, wastes a non-inconsequential amount of energy that directly increases your electric bill (when it doesn’t need to).

Along with the fans, we typically see inefficiencies in the motor hardware components themselves, and the door heaters on the glass doors that house the beer and other cold products. Top Liquors was no different.

NRM’s quick and no-cost assessment of the walk-in found opportunities across the board, and the subsequent energy analysis of the recommended measures showed promising savings potential. Between the four measures (advance temp. controls, fan controls, fan motors, and anti-sweat door heaters), NRM uncovered nearly 30,000 kWh in energy waste per year. This translates into roughly $5,000 in actual electric costs.

Considering the level of savings, and the fact that the solution would pay for itself in a little under two years, Top Liquors didn’t hesitate to move forward with the project. NRM’s track record, as well as our partnership with their utility provider, offered them the extra piece of mind to know they could trust what they were getting.

The installation went off without a hitch, and Top Liquors’ walk-in is now running as efficiently as it can and will provide impactful energy savings for years to come.