Firm is on a roll with new fridge system
A COST-saving kit that captures waste fridge heat to produce hot water has been developed by a Guisborough firm.
Family-run Cleanex Electrical claimed the kit, which can be fitted to existing refrigeration units, has a payback time of less than a year.
Middlesbrough sandwich- maker On A Roll is the first company to sign up for the system since its inventors put it out to market after a five-year wait.
“Biding our time has been hard, but the time is right now,” said MD Richard Graham, who runs the company with his wife, Valerie. “A few years ago when there was plenty of money about, the cost of heating didn’t really concern people but bills are rising now.”
Cleanex Electrical won a Department of Trade and Industry Smart Award for a prototype commissioned by Teesside butchers Newboulds, before it was bought by Country Valley Foods last year.
Cleanex now plans to target SMEs and the prison sector.
“There are other similar systems around the world but none that are as easy to fit, and few retro-fit ones,” said Mr Graham.
The tailor-made system can channel huge amounts of heat given off by refrigeration equipment to radiators as well as hot water tanks, helping users save on heating bills.
It has been developed with DTI funding and expertise from food technology experts at the University of Teesside. North Ormesby-based Cleveland Refrigeration installs the systems.
James Stoddart, owner of On a Roll, employs 28 staff at his Riverside Park premises, which opened 18 months ago.
He said: “This makes good business sense, it will save us money in the long run. The biggest thing for us is it’s environmentally friendly. We use a lot of power for refrigeration in our industry. We work in a sterile environment and use a lot of water to clean down.
“We will get even more benefit from the system in the summer when the fridges work harder.”
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