Optimization Solutions for

Walk-in Coolers
& Freezers

If your business has a walk-in cooler or freezer, it is likely one of the most important pieces of your operation. In order to prevent product loss and keep profits against thin margins, maintaining safe temps. is paramount. But is it doing so as efficiently—or transparently—as possible?

Optimizing your commercial refrigeration system should be a no-brainer.

Your utility provider recognizes they need to “buy back” electricity from commercial customers with smaller energy footprints and divert it to larger ones with more demand. In states like Massachusetts, there are fewer and fewer ways for the utility companies to generate new electricity; so they’re looking for new strategies to help solve energy their energy issues.

As a result, NRM can offer approved solutions as a program partner, the same as you’ve likely seen other partners offering office lighting upgrades, office heating controls, etc., but we focus on commercial and industrial refrigeration systems.

Did you know your walk-in cooler was designed to be able to maintain safe temperatures on the hottest day of the year?

That means for the other 364 days, your refrigeration system is running inefficiently, wasting both kWh and real dollars.

For many small businesses with refrigeration, this inefficient operation results in their walk-in being their biggest electricity hog month after month. But it doesn’t have to be. NRM offers award-winning, proven optimizations that drastically reduce your operating costs, providing long-term savings, while simultaneously extending the life of the equipment and improving your capabilities to manage it.

And implementing these optimizations may qualify for big incentives from the utility sponsors of Mass Save®. But incentives are limited on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you must act now.

"I’m extremely happy with NRM’s controls and would recommend them to any other business owner that has walk-in coolers. Brian, their installer, was very helpful throughout the whole process and showed me how I would be saving energy. I’ve had the controls for 14 years, and look forward to another 14 of saving money."

— John Averill, Owner

Read Vineyard Cash & Carry's Success Story

CoolTrol® is the backbone of every personalized solution.

It's much more than a smart thermostat. It gives you full control over the operation of your refrigeration system, while providing long-term "set it and forget" energy savings.

Timed System Shutdown

Easy-to-read LCD Display

Push-button Controls

System Info Database

Safe System Bypass

One-Button Defrost on Demand

On-Site Temperature Alerts

Most common areas we find opportunities:

Evaporator Fan Runtimes

No longer do your evaporator fansets need to run 100% of the time 24/7. CoolTrol can cut their runtimes by 50-70% in most cases, both decreasing your electric costs and extending the life of the equipment through less use.

Evaporator Fan Motors

As your evaporator fans currently operate 100% of the time, the older, inefficient motors they have are continuously generating and delivering heat into the cold space. EC Motor upgrades drastically reduce the amount of heat created, and improve performance.

Anti-Sweat Door Heaters

Your door heaters are a significant source of savings, and CoolTrol can reduce their runtimes by up to 95% in coolers and up to 50% in freezers.

Novelty Cooler Night Setback

If you have soft drinks coolers, they likely can be scheduled off in timed intervals while your business is closed, limiting off-hours energy use.

Evaporator Coil Defrost

By allowing CoolTrol to manage your electric defrost, defrosts will initiate based on coil temperatures and runtimes instead of a fixed schedule. This drastically decreases the amount of energy waste, as well as nuisance maintenance calls, for icing issues.

Similiar upgrades for YOUR refrigeration system may be eligible for generous incentives from your utility provider that typically cover 60-100% of the project cost.

But incentive dollars are limited, so act now!

It couldn't be easier to do

System
Assessment

An NRM specialist quickly but comprehensively measures your cold space, noting layout, equipment types, and runtimes.

Engineering
Analysis

Next, NRM analyzes which efficiency enhancements your equipment qualifies for, and calculates potential kWh savings.

Incentive
Application

Following the analysis, NRM applies for the any eligible utility incentives on your behalf. These drastically reduce up-front costs.

Project
Approval

Once all the info is compiled, NRM presents the project scope to you for your approval. Then we schedule the installation.

Solution
Integration

Licensed, in-house techs. install your new, retrofit controls and measures with zero interruption to your day-to-day business.

System
Assessment

An NRM specialist quickly but comprehensively measures your cold space, noting layout, equipment types, and runtimes.

Engineering
Analysis

Next, NRM analyzes which efficiency enhancements your equipment qualifies for, and calculates potential kWh savings.

Incentive
Application

Following the analysis, NRM applies for the any eligible utility incentives on your behalf. These drastically reduce up-front costs.

Project
Approval

Once all the info is compiled, NRM presents the project scope to you for your approval. Then we schedule the installation.

Solution
Integration

Licensed, in-house techs. install your new, retrofit controls and measures with zero interruption to your day-to-day business.

Working with NRM is a partnership, not a transaction.

Beginning with a comprehensive facility audit by our knowledgeable and friendly Advisors, we provide built-in M+V, utility incentive calculation documentation (where applicable), and a single point of contact for end-to-end warranty and customer service. Following the installation, we’ll train and support your employees of choice in how the controls add value to your daily operations. And if you have a question, our knowledgable experts are here to help, along with an online library of how-to videos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Refrigeration and HVAC equipment are sized for HOTTEST DAYS of the year, and they always add a safety factor in case more is needed. But the “hottest days” only happen 20-30 times per year, which means all systems are oversized for the other 330~ days. The CoolTrol system manages all the loads to take advantage of the oversizing, and turns off loads that don’t need to be on all the time. It also manages defrost more closely to what is needed. Some facilities have very big cold rooms so they add redundant systems meaning that capacity can sometimes be 2-4x of what is needed on average days.

No. The new controls keep fans running when refrigeration is ON and only cycles them OFF when refrigeration is OFF. Every fan motor generates heat and the new system keeps them off when air movement is not necessary. Why keep the heaters running once temperature set point is reached?

The utility’s trust and confidence in us is the greatest guarantee we can offer. In some programs, NRM has been providing solutions for over 10 years with the utility company backing it with their incentives programs. We would not continue to win these contracts year over year if we didn’t produce the savings we propose.

Most states have adopted laws to get citizens and companies to use less energy as it is cheaper to get consumers to use less energy than to build a new power plant which no one wants near them. Utilities are tasked with collecting this on every utility bill based on usage. It may be a line item shown as “public benefit charge” or “energy conservation charge”. This money accumulates and is used to fund the conservation programs as incentives to pay for energy efficient lights or other equipment. Since it is available for all ratepayers, it is a great way to fund energy efficiency upgrades that reduce the utility bill, so take advantage of this to get some of your money back. The money isn’t free, but it will contribute toward qualified energy efficiency projects. It’s a great way to make a difference to your bottom line.

"NRM has been outstanding through this whole program. Your technicians were very professional, and during the last project, even took the time to answer questions from my refrigeration guy so he could properly interact with the controls moving forward. And the energy savings help everyone’s bottom line. If the utility companies can’t find new ways to generate electricity, our costs are going to go up substantially, so this is a way we all can help."

— Bruce Reamer, Owner

Read Salerno Seafood's Success Story

Success Stories

Maryland Food Bank

With NRM's help, they are now able to save $39,000 and 290,000 kWh every year from their commercial electric bill.

Salerno's Seafood

With NRM's help, they are now able to save $4,200 and 32,500 kWh every year from their commercial electric bill.

Shop N' Bag

With NRM's help, they are now able to save $28,000 and 184,000 kWh every year from their commercial electric bill.
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Live System Monitoring From Anywhere

Gain the ability to manage and control your refrigeration systems from anywhere you have internet access. Whether you have 1 cold space or 100, you can enhance your oversight and ensure the most optimal performance. 

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