Climate classes in cooling appliances
What does climate class mean for professional refrigerators and freezers?
Professional refrigerators and freezers have a special designation that indicates their climate class. You can find it written on the label with the serial number of your cooling appliance, where you will find information about the ambient temperature at which the device can be fully used.
When it’s time to buy a new fridge or freezer, in addition to the convenience of all the extras you’d like to have in it, you need to consider where you’re going to install the appliance.
Or to be more precise, you need to match the temperature of the new location with that of the outside environment. This is important as not every fridge or freezer is suitable for all temperature ranges.
If, for example, you decide to put a cooling appliance on your terrace where, in winter, the degrees drop below the temperature range of the appliance’s air-conditioning class, it probably won’t work.
In order to provide the consumer with more information so that they can make a more informed choice when making a purchase and to ensure the smooth operation of appliances in different climates, DIN EN 62552 has been developed for refrigerators and freezers.
It specifies the conditions and methods by which instruments are tested. Refrigerators and freezers shall then be labeled with one or more of the four climate classes in which they are suitable for use, or labeled in the class in which the specific climate is classified.
For you as the customer, this classification enables you to see the ambient temperature range in which the appliance will be able to maintain the required storage conditions.
And for manufacturers, the “climate class” indicator is extremely important because they sell their refrigerators and freezers in almost every country in the world, in a variety of climates ranging from extremely cold to very hot and humid.
The most common letter designation of climate classes is as follows:
- SN = Subnormal climate: suitable for use at temperatures from +10°C to +32°C
- N = Normal: suitable for use at temperatures from +16°C to +32°C
- ST = Subtropical: suitable for use at temperatures from +16°C to +38°C
- T = Tropical: suitable for use at temperatures from +16°C to +43°C
Maybe you keep a second fridge or freezer in the basement, on the terrace, or in your garage, where temperatures often drop below +10°C in winter? In such cases, it is important to pay attention to the air conditioning class that supports the unit.
If the ambient temperature does not match the range in which it operates optimally, its performance may be compromised, energy consumption increased, and service life reduced.
However, there is also a numerical designation of climate classes:
The numerical designation of the air-conditioning class began to be used on 1 June 2016, when energy efficiency classes were first introduced for professional refrigerators and freezers.
The energy label for professional appliances must contain the same information as for domestic appliances: manufacturer’s details, product model, energy efficiency class (energy rating), energy consumption per 365 days, net (usable) volume, and climate class.
Consumers identify the climate class of appliances as a significant advantage of the energy label. The climate class indicates to what maximum ambient temperature the required internal temperature for food storage can be guaranteed. There are the following climate classes:
- Climate class 3 (low energy consumption): ambient temperature: +10 °C to +25 °C relative humidity: 60%
- Climate class 4: Ambient temperature: +10 °C to +30 °C Relative humidity: 55 %
- Climate class 5 (high energy consumption): ambient temperature: +10 °C to +40 °C relative humidity: 40%
What else should you consider when talking about climate grades?
If you have an appliance designed to operate in the SN-T range, it should not be used at temperatures below +10°C because the viscosity of the oil in the compressor could increase. And with this eventual loss of fluidity, optimum “lubrication” by the oil is no longer guaranteed and the compressor may fail.
At the same time, in most professional kitchens the air temperature is high due to the use of multiple heat-generating appliances – fryers, induction and gas hobs, convection ovens, ovens, etc. It is, therefore, necessary to select appliances with a high air-conditioning class that can also operate at high ambient temperatures.
That is, the most suitable would be an appliance with an SN-T climate class, functioning optimally at ambient temperatures up to +43°C.
Of course, your refrigerator or freezer will not stop working at temperatures higher than +43°C, but then the electricity consumption will be higher due to the increased intensity of the compressor.
Find out how to save electricity in a professional environment in our next article.
