Legal Requirements Lists federal requirements related to the purchase of this item, including applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements

• FAR Subpart 23.2 Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• FAR Subpart 23.8 Ozone-Depleting Substances and Greenhouse Gases
• FAR Subpart 23.1 Sustainable Acquisition Policy

Life Cycle Cost Savings

Life Cycle Costing (LCC) aims to quantify the financial impact of a product over its entire life cycle to assist consumers in making decisions that will save them money over the long term.

For most applications, energy-efficient commercial refrigerators and freezers have the lowest life-cycle cost. For example, FEMP has estimated that an Energy Star-qualified 24-cubic-foot-capacity vertical solid-door commercial refrigerator can save a typical federal user $425 in energy costs over the life of the unit. In addition, EPA has estimated that the same Energy Star-qualified unit can avoid 760 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

An efficient product is cost effective when the energy costs saved over the life of the product exceed the additional upfront cost (if any) of the more efficient model. Energy Star considers both upfront costs and lifetime energy cost savings when setting required efficiency levels. Federal purchasers can assume that Energy Star-qualified products are life-cycle cost effective.

To calculate life cycle cost savings, explore these tools:

• On its Purchasing & Procurement page, Energy Star offers MS-Excel-based calculators to estimate how much money and energy you can save purchasing ENERGY STAR commercial freezers.
• For life cycling costing on specific brand-name products, visit SFTool Product Search by clicking the green box at the top of this page. Once you have created an account, add a product to a project and open the project. The tool displays energy cost savings, adjusting for local utility rates, operating conditions, and the purchase price.
• NREL’s Levelized Cost of Energy Calculator can help estimate the cost of electricity as an input for your lifecycle cost calculations, accounting for both cost escalation and discount rates.

Guiding Principles

Contributes to meeting The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings

• 2 - Optimize Energy Performance

Additional Guidance

Solid door refrigerators and freezers are substantially more efficient than glass door models. Federal agencies should use solid door models as much as possible. (source: FEMP)

The Energy Star 4.0 specification for commercial refrigerators and freezers is scheduled to take effect on March 27, 2017. It includes the adoption of climate-friendly refrigerants. It applies to commercial freezers, commercial refrigerators, commercial refrigerator-freezers, and hybrids in the following equipment class designations:

1. Horizontal Closed Solid Self-Contained Low Temperature (HCS.SC.L)
2. Horizontal Closed Solid Self-Contained Medium Temperature (HCS.SC.M)
3. Horizontal Closed Transparent Self-Contained Low Temperature (HCT.SC.L)
4. Horizontal Closed Transparent Self-Contained Medium Temperature (HCT.SC.M)
5. Vertical Closed Solid Self-Contained Low Temperature (VCS.SC.L)
6. Vertical Closed Solid Self-Contained Medium Temperature (VCS.SC.M)
7. Vertical Closed Transparent Self-Contained Low Temperature (VCT.SC.L)
8. Vertical Closed Transparent Self-Contained Medium Temperature (VCT.SC.M)

Examples of product types that are eligible for qualification include: reach-in, roll-in, or passthrough units; merchandisers; under-counter units; hybrid units; milk coolers; back bar coolers; bottle coolers; glass frosters; deep well units; beer-dispensing or direct draw units; and bunker freezers.

Potential LEED Contributions

This product may contribute* toward points in multiple LEED v4 rating systems, including areas required for LEED v4 building certification. Primarily, the credits will apply in the Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) categories. This includes the specialty areas of: New Construction and Major Renovation, Existing Buildings, Core & Shell, Schools, Retail, Data Centers, Warehouse and Distribution Centers, Hospitality, and Healthcare. Specific credits are:

• Energy & Atmosphere - Optimize Energy Performance

* It is important to note that no products, individually or collectively, can guarantee a specific number of points for LEED Category credit. Each credit will need to be matched to the product by a certified professional.

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