The Whole Foods store in Overland Park, KS enlisted Munters to provide them with an energy efficient air treatment system that could supply the necessary indoor conditions to keep their products fresh and their patrons comfortable, all while keeping their energy usage low.
Inside Whole Foods, maintaining the proper conditions is vital for ensuring product quality, especially in refrigerated sections. High moisture causes the refrigeration system to work 15% harder than if the humidity is kept low. Whole Food’s efforts to control the humidity via the store’s air conditioner were insufficient leaving the space RH at 65-70% and resulting in very high utility bills.
Much of Whole Food’s internal cooling credits were provided by store refrigeration cases. Therefore, the space had low cooling requirements, but a high latent or moisture control requirement due to the large amount of outdoor air being introduced to offset the cooking stoves' exhaust from in-store eateries. In order to prevent moisture issues in the space and reduce utility usage, the target condition for Whole Foods was 75˚F and 50% RH.
Benefits |
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Controlled space conditions to the desired level |
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Reduced run times of cooling equipment |
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Improved efficiency and lower operating cost of refrigeration systems |
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Reduced defrost requirements |
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Longer product shelf life |
Munters installed four DryCool™ Standard HCUc6030 systems that would each deliver 5,000 cfm of outdoor air at 75.5˚F / 45 gr/lb. The DryCool™ Standard is a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) that removes moisture by combining Munters advanced desiccant dehumidification technology with packaged refrigeration. The system also utilizes waste condenser heat to reactivate the desiccant wheel, for improved moisture removal capacity at reduced cooling tonnage. This saves on the electrical load with no risk of condensation or fogging on display doors. Additionally, with the humidity controlled, the temperature inside the store could be increased to maintain customer comfort and further reduce utility costs.
For more information download the DryCool Standard Product Guide and visit our page for supermarkets.