Increasing Energy Efficiency with Proper Electrical Cabinet Cooling Systems

If you have an enclosure with sensitive electronic equipment, an electrical cabinet cooling system is an important part of your operating budget, both at the time of purchase and with respect to ongoing costs. It’s important to evaluate both of these numbers to ensure that you get the best value for your investment over the entire lifetime of the equipment.

Fortunately, certain features in modern electrical cabinet cooling systems help improve efficiency, which saves you money in the long term.

Increasing Efficiency with an Electrical Cabinet Cooling System

If you are installing a new electrical enclosure or upgrading an older enclosure cooling system, it’s important to work with a qualified provider and weigh all of your options.

Some of the factors you should consider before making a purchase include:

• Proper sizing – Just as you need to select a correctly sized air conditioner for your home, you need to do the same for an electrical enclosure. A cooling system that is too small will run continuously, consuming more power, and not achieve the desired temperature. However, an over-sized cooling system is also inefficient because the unit will cycle on and off more frequently and allow the enclosure temperature to fluctuate excessively. A good provider can help you calculate the expected heat load of the enclosure and select an appropriately sized unit for your application.
• Equipment type – When the ambient temperature is consistently lower than the desired temperature inside the enclosure, you may be able to use an air to air heat exchanger instead of an air conditioner. A heat exchanger has fewer moving parts and consumes less energy than an air conditioner, so if conditions allow, it is typically a more economical choice.
• Programmable controls – You don’t leave your home thermostat at the same setting year-round, or even throughout the day. As conditions surrounding your electrical enclosure change, the cooling system should be able to adapt for maximum efficiency. Look for a system with programmable controls that allow you to adjust settings as necessary.
• Thermal expansion valves – Peak heat loads require more refrigerant circulation, while lower temperatures may not need as much. A thermal expansion valve automatically adjusts the flow of refrigerant to help improve efficiency and provide reliable cooling in high temperatures.
• Condensate evaporation systems – Some air conditioners use electrical heaters to evaporate condensate, causing higher energy usage.  A more efficient condensate evaporation system, uses the hot refrigeration tubing to boil off the condensate.  This also lowers the amount of work the compressor has to do, resulting in a reduction of energy usage. This saves you money and creates less wear and tear, extending equipment life.

Remember, sometimes investing a little more upfront can save you a lot of money in the long run. Don’t look for the cheapest solution available; look for the best fit for your application for the entire life of the system.

Thermal Edge is here to help you select the right electrical cabinet cooling system for your application. We’ll work closely with you to calculate the proper size for maximum efficiency. All of our air conditioners include thermal expansion valves, energy saving condensate evaporation systems, and programmable controls, so no matter which unit you select, you can be sure it will operate efficiently. Contact us today for your free quote.

How much does your existing electrical cabinet cooling system cost to operate?