News, Power Generation & Electrical

DNV GL and AEP Ohio win Energy Award for helping new energy efficient technology in ultra-low temperature freezers reach the market

Stirling ultra-low temperature freezers now ENERGY STAR certified

OAKLAND, California, United States – 19 February 2018 – DNV GL was recognized today by the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) with the Energy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Emerging Tools and Technologies at the AESP 2018 National Conference & Expo.

The award was presented jointly to DNV GL and the utility American Electric Power (AEP) Ohio for their work to transform ultra-low temperature freezers to integrate a new energy efficient technology and help it become ENERGY STAR® certified. Ultra-low temperature freezers are a key device used in laboratories, hospitals, and universities.

AEP Ohio and DNV GL seized upon this opportunity when the two companies visited the manufacturer of this new ultra-low temperature technology, Stirling Ultracold.

DNV GL and AEP Ohio partnered with Stirling to promote their new technology. While ultra-low temperature freezers were an ENERGY STAR® category, there was no equipment on the market that met the standard.

DNV GL quickly verified the energy savings using third-party testing data that used standard cascaded ultra-low freezers as a baseline. This made it possible to create a new incentive structure for the Stirling freezers and incorporate it into AEP Ohio’s portfolio of prescriptive energy efficiency measures.

The introduction of an energy efficient option for ultra-low temperature freezers, enabled the market to use less energy and improve the reliability of this crucial piece of equipment.

“AEP Ohio and DNV GL proactively identified an opportunity to target emerging energy efficient technology, which enabled AEP Ohio to broaden their energy efficiency portfolio and reach an underserved customer segment. This approach demonstrates a partnership model between a utility, a service provider, and a manufacturer that is unusual to find,” said Richard Barnes, Executive Vice President and Region Manager, Energy North America. “This type of initiative is one that can be emulated by utilities across the United States as they seek to transform markets and find opportunities for energy efficiency that go beyond typical measures.”

“The opportunity to create a new market for energy efficient technologies and products is one that AEP Ohio consistently seeks out,” said Andrew McCabe, commercial programs manager. “Helping Stirling Ultracold to achieve ENERGY STAR certification and bring this technology to the market where there was no energy efficient alternative was a way to provide significant energy savings to the ultra-cold segment.”

With the newly certified equipment in the market, DNV GL and AEP Ohio were able to expedite the process to obtain an incentive for this equipment. In addition to the potential of more than 2,000 GWh of energy savings in this market, the adaptation of the new equipment has added non-energy benefits to the hospitals and labs that use the equipment, as these freezer units are far more reliable than conventionally designed freezers.