How many kWh does a new 60 HP refrigeration compressor save in a block ice plant?

Thirteen kWh per tonne of ice, or 52,707 kWh a year at 4,200 t, in BEE's Bhimavaram report: roughly 36 t CO2 on today's grid. Cost Rs 3.52 lakh, payback 1.78 years (2010). If you make more ice with the bigger capacity, total kWh rises, not falls.

The worn compressor BEE measured

• Rated 96.2 TR with a 60 HP motor, it was delivering only 34.92 TR.
• It drew 38.89 kW, about 1.11 kW per TR, and made 12 t of ice a day against a design 19.5 t.
• It ran 24 hours a day, 350 days a year: 326,676 kWh for 4,200 t, about 78 kWh per tonne.

What the new compressor promises

• Same 60 HP motor, same 265 m3 an hour swept volume, still ammonia.
• 76.96 TR at 42.4 kW, about 0.55 kW per TR, and 15.6 t of ice a day. These are the maker's figures at 80% load, not a measurement.
• About 65 kWh per tonne, so 13 kWh less on every tonne.
• Cost Rs 3.37 lakh for the compressor plus Rs 0.15 lakh for panel and cabling.

Total kWh can go up

The report's 52,707 kWh saving holds only if you keep making 4,200 t. Run the faster compressor to 5,460 t and the plant uses 356,160 kWh, about 29,500 kWh more than before. Your CO2 per tonne falls; your total rises with output. Report both figures so a buyer or lender sees why.

Checks before and after

• Ask the supplier to commit to kW and TR at your brine temperature, in writing.
• Meter the compressor separately for a month before and a month after.
• Count blocks pulled each day so kWh per tonne can be worked out, not guessed.
• Fix ammonia leaks and brine tank insulation at the same time; a new compressor cannot make up for them.

Same 4,200 t of ice, old and new compressor

• Old: 326,676 kWh / 4,200 t = 77.8 kWh per t; x 0.675 = 52.5 kg CO2 per t
• New: 356,160 kWh / 5,460 t = 65.2 kWh per t; x 0.675 = 44.0 kg CO2 per t
• Saved at 4,200 t: 12.55 kWh x 4,200 = 52,707 kWh, about 35.6 t CO2
• Report says 42 t; it used an older, higher grid factor

Grid factor 0.675 kg CO2 per kWh, CEA FY 2025-26, an estimate. Payback at the report's tariff of Rs 3.75 per kWh.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads your electricity bills into monthly kWh and CO2 records; divide by tonnes of ice to track kWh per tonne after the change. The green loan check shows what a lender will want for the new compressor.

• Green loan readiness check
• Bhimavaram ice plants: power per tonne
• Ice plant kWh per tonne benchmark
• Tube ice plant or block ice

Sources: BEE, Detailed project report: new refrigeration compressor 60 HP, Bhimavaram ice making cluster (2010, SAMEEEKSHA), CEA, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector, version 22.0 (FY 2025-26 grid factor)

Last reviewed 2026-10-31. Equipment figures are from a BEE SME programme project report; costs and paybacks are at that report's prices. Recheck with today's fuel and power prices and a current quote.