The profitability of professional refrigeration in HORECA does not only depend on the price of the equipment. In practice, it is about continuous consumption, thermal stability, avoided wastage and reliability over the years. When cooling operates 24/7, small technical decisions end up having a sustained economic impact.
In our experience as a professional refrigeration manufacturer working with dealers and installers, it is often the case that cooling is decided at the end of the project. And yet it is one of the few systems that is never switched off.
Professional Cooling and Profitability in 5 points
- Professional refrigeration is a ongoing fixed cost, not a one-off expense.
- Energy consumption is concentrated in the long term and depends on the design, not only on the compressor.
- A stable temperature reduces shrinkage and protects the business margin.
- The total cost of ownership is often more relevant than the purchase price.
- Making the right decision requires discussing actual use with the dealer, not just the data sheet.
¿Why this issue matters now?
There are three practical reasons why it is worth reviewing how cold affects profitability:
- More expensive and volatile energy. Continuous consumption amplifies any inefficiencies.
- Tighter HORECA models. Less scope for absorbing shrinkage and downtime.
- Increased operational requirements. Long hours, high turnover and peak loads.
According to recent studies, refrigeration equipment can represent almost a third of energy consumption of a professional kitchen, which helps to understand why cold weighs so heavily on the annual business result.
Cold as an invisible fixed cost
Professional refrigeration does not “go into service”: is always on duty. This changes the way their economic impact is assessed. When analysing cold as a fixed cost that works 24/7, In this way, it is understood why small inefficiencies have a sustained economic impact (cluster1).
What makes up this fixed cost:
- Continuous electricity consumption, even outside peak hours.
- Additional stress due to poor ventilation or location.
- Increases in consumption due to dirt or wear.
- Unplanned downtime and associated losses.
Equipment can do its job and still consume more than necessary. In older or poorly maintained chambers, industry sources indicate consumption increases of up to 40% compared to current models. Source: Jumafri sectoral analysis.
How to tell the customer in one sentence:
If the equipment runs all year round, the important thing is not how much it costs to buy it, but how much it costs to keep it running.
Energy consumption and design matter more than they seem to
Not all consumption depends on the energy label. The design of the ensemble conditions actual spending:
- Insulation and quality of panels.
- Condenser ventilation.
- Adjustment to the actual product load.
- Frequency of openings and internal organisation.
In studies of the return on investment in cold storage, the emphasis is on analysing the kWh per year and not just the rated power. ROI calculation guides such as those from Linble Coldroom show that sustained energy savings are one of the main drivers of return.
Diagnostic questions
- Is the camera sized for peak or average use?
- Is there real space to ventilate the equipment?
- Are hot products introduced on a regular basis?
Thermal stability, shrinkage and margin
Profitability is not only lost in the electricity bill. It is also eroded by avoidable losses. This effect explains the relationship between thermal stability, shrinkage and margin that many businesses only detect when the product is already lost (cluster 2).
An unstable temperature:
- Accelerates product deterioration.
- Reduces service life.
- It forces to discard gender prematurely.
Technical guidelines for ROI in refrigeration indicate shrinkage reductions in the range of 10-30%, depending on product, when thermal stability and organisation are improved.
It is not a universal figure. It depends on the product, the flow and the control. It should therefore be treated as a guideline, not as concrete.
It is plausible to think that shrinkage reduction will be higher in businesses with high fresh turnover and poor pre-control.
For example, in the case of our Master Ageing Controller that loss in matured meats is above 10% as explained in this article.
In businesses with high fresh turnover and a messy starting point, the combination of efficient professional refrigeration and shrinkage control discipline turns every euro invested in refrigeration into several euros of added benefit per year.o.
Purchase price vs. total cost of ownership
One of the common misconceptions is to equate price with cost. It is therefore useful to analyse the total cost of ownership in professional refrigeration, and not limit the decision to the initial budget(cluster3).
In professional refrigeration, the total cost of ownership includes:
| Element | Impact |
| Initial purchase | On time |
| Energy | Recurrent |
| Maintenance | Recurrent |
| Malfunctions | Variable |
| Service life | Strategic |
Electrolux Professional insists on evaluating the total cost of ownership and not just the purchase price, because efficient equipment reduces the cumulative cost over its lifetime.
What to ask for in order not to decide blindly
- Estimated annual consumption under real conditions.
- Maintenance requirements.
- Accessibility to components.
- Expected lifetime horizon.
Internal organisation and daily operation
The way cold is used also influences profitability:
- Overloading forces the compressor to work longer.
- Poor internal organisation hinders thermal recovery.
- Bad seals increase consumption by up to 10%. Source: Jumafri.
It's not just a question of equipment, but also of use and maintenance. This is why many distributors include operational guidelines in the delivery of the installation.
What changes for HORECA in practice
- Cold should be analysed as critical infrastructure, not as an accessory.
- Consumption is assessed in years, not weeks.
- Stability protects both the product and the bottom line.
- ROI depends on energy, wastage and shelf life combined.
- The conversation must include real use, not just a catalogue.
- The distributor changes from a supplier to a technical advisor.
- The right decision is often the one that avoids future problems.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, because it is one of the few systems that works continuously. Its impact accumulates month by month.
Not always. Depends on suitability for actual use and subsequent maintenance.
There are methodologies that combine energy savings, waste reduction and operational efficiency. The result varies from project to project.
Oversize or undersize and do not provide for ventilation or maintenance access.
It helps, but does not replace the analysis of the whole and the daily use.
When consumption, breakdowns or wastage exceed the cost of a planned refurbishment.
The distributor or installer who knows the customer's actual use.
It depends on the workflow and the space available. There is no single answer.
Light glossary
- Total cost of ownership: sum of purchase, energy, maintenance and lifetime.
- Decline: loss of product due to deterioration or expiry.
- Thermal stability: ability to maintain a constant temperature.
- kWh/year: estimated annual energy consumption.
- ROI: return on investment over time.
- Thermal load: heat to be extracted by the system under real conditions.
Profitability in HORECA Professional Refrigeration. Recommendation
The profitability of professional refrigeration in HORECA is built with consistent technical decisions and an honest conversation about actual use. To get it right, we recommend reviewing the project together with your usual distributor or installer, analysing consumption, wastage and maintenance from the outset.
In HORECA, it's not the equipment you invest in today that is expensive, but the equipment that bills you every month for ten years.
