Cold rooms are essential pieces of equipment in the catering industry. For example, if you are planning to entertain hundreds of guests in your home, you need to refrigerate drinks and perishable foods. If you intend to opt for a cold room hire for a couple of days, your energy bills might go up because the appliance consumes a lot of energy. As such, reducing energy bills should be prioritized when renting a cold room. Here are some energy-saving tips that beginners must know.

Doors -- When cold room doors are left open for some time, they let in warm air into the unit. The energy required to cool this warm air every time the doors are open can be significant considering the number of days the cold room will be sitting in your home. When renting a cold room, you should go for equipment that has automatic doors because chances of leaving the doors open by mistake are minimal. Furthermore, ensure that no obstructions can block the doors from closing. Besides, the door seals must be in flawless condition when hiring a cold room.

Insulation – Apart from doors, cold rooms have insulation panels that prevent seepage of warm air into the unit. Before taking the cold room home, check to confirm that no gaps exist between the insulation panels that might leave room for air penetration. Any sign of damaged panels should be a pointer to considering alternatives.  

Loading and Unloading Stuff -- Although this tip is related to a door opening, it should be treated as a stand-alone precaution. As a party host, you should encourage your attendants to load or unload items from the cold room in large batches to prevent heat leaks. For instance, beers can be emptied in crates rather than individual bottles every time your guests request for them. This way, you save on the energy needed to cool the unit every time the door is shut.

Thermal Camera – Modern cold rooms are equipped with thermal imaging cameras that detect hotspots. In most cases, cold areas will register as blue while warm areas will show as red. Therefore, with a thermal imaging camera, you can quickly identify areas of heat leaks and call for technical support without incurring enormous costs. However, a thermal imaging camera by itself may not be adequate since you need a ethnographer to interpret the images. Besides a thermal imaging camera, a portable thermal torch can suffice. Therefore, ask if your preferred vendor offers such additional devices when hiring out a cold room.