Improving Temperature Control and Energy Efficiency with Destratification Fans for Cold Storage & Freezer Solutions
Cold storage warehouses and freezer facilities operate around the clock to maintain tightly controlled temperatures across large volumes of space. High ceilings, dense pallet racking, frequent door openings, and powerful refrigeration equipment can make maintaining uniform conditions both difficult and expensive.
Airius destratification fans can help distribute refrigerated air more effectively throughout the facility, reducing temperature stratification and helping existing refrigeration systems maintain stable conditions with less unnecessary energy use.
The Challenge
Cold storage facilities do not simply need to generate enough cooling. That cooling must reach the entire storage volume efficiently. In high-bay warehouses, differences in air density and temperature can create uneven conditions from floor to ceiling and across densely packed storage areas. ASHRAE notes that thermal stratification can be significant in large warehouses and is particularly concerning where temperature-sensitive products are stored.
Door openings create another major challenge. Warm, moisture-laden outside air entering refrigerated spaces adds directly to the refrigeration load. ASHRAE reports that infiltration and associated equipment loads can account for more than half of the total refrigeration load in some distribution warehouses.
When conditioned air is not distributed effectively, refrigeration and ventilation equipment may cycle more frequently to maintain set temperatures, increasing electrical consumption, equipment wear, and operating costs.
The Airius Solution
Airius fans can continuously recirculate conditioned air throughout cold storage facilities, helping maintain more uniform temperatures from floor to ceiling and reducing areas where refrigerated air is not being used effectively.
For cold storage and freezer facilities, two Airius systems are particularly well suited.
Onyx EC Series
The Onyx EC Series provides a strong alternative for cold environments requiring more powerful circulation. Designed for cooling and large industrial spaces, the Onyx EC combines high air-moving capability with an extended operating-temperature range. Standard models can cover approximately 2,000 square feet and serve ceilings up to 50 feet, while variable-speed control allows airflow to be matched to changing refrigeration loads and operating conditions.
Air Pear EC Series
The Air Pear Series is the primary solution for cold storage facilities and is the system proven in Airius' NRM cold storage installation. Its focused columnar airflow helps circulate conditioned air throughout large warehouse volumes and reduce temperature stratification. Multiple models provide coverage for different ceiling heights and facility configurations, while EC motor options provide variable-speed control and integration with BACnet or 0–10V building-management systems.
Potential Benefits
A properly engineered Airius installation could help reduce temperature stratification, maintain more consistent conditions throughout storage areas, improve circulation around pallet racking, reduce unnecessary refrigeration and ventilation equipment cycling, and lower overall energy consumption. More consistent air distribution may also reduce equipment runtime and wear while helping refrigeration systems make better use of the conditioned air they are already producing.
Proven Results
National Resource Management Inc. partnered with Airius to improve energy efficiency inside a cold storage warehouse with 36-foot ceilings. The facility relied on 1-to-2-horsepower ventilation motors totaling 62 kW of electrical load. Because the motors cycled approximately every seven minutes to maintain temperature conditions, the system consumed substantial amounts of electricity.
NRM installed 70 low-wattage Airius Air Pear fans throughout the warehouse to continuously recirculate conditioned air and maintain more uniform temperatures. With improved destratification, the facility was able to extend ventilation motor cycles from approximately every seven minutes to every 20 minutes.
During the first five months of operation, the combined Airius and NRM solution produced an average 33.28% reduction in energy usage, 60% refrigeration savings, and approximately $42,000 in cost savings. Monthly energy reductions ranged from 22.88% to 38.72%
It's cool to be cold
Every refrigerated warehouse has different operating temperatures, ceiling heights, rack configurations, refrigeration systems, door activity, and product requirements. Airius systems can be selected and positioned around those conditions to help conditioned air circulate effectively throughout the complete storage volume while working alongside existing refrigeration and control systems.
The objective isn’t simply to produce more cooling. It’s to make better use of the cooling the facility is already paying for.