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

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/ice-plant-new-refrigeration-compressor-kwh-saving

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](https://senseible.earth/green-loan-check)
- [Bhimavaram ice plants: power per tonne](https://senseible.earth/answers/bhimavaram-ice-plants-electricity-per-tonne)
- [Ice plant kWh per tonne benchmark](https://senseible.earth/answers/ice-plant-kwh-per-tonne-benchmark)
- [Tube ice plant or block ice](https://senseible.earth/answers/tube-ice-plant-vs-block-ice-electricity)

Sources: [BEE, Detailed project report: new refrigeration compressor 60 HP, Bhimavaram ice making cluster (2010, SAMEEEKSHA)](https://sameeeksha.org/pdf/dpr/Bhimavaram_ice_making_cluster/New_Refrigiration_compressor_60_HP_Bhimavrm_IMC.pdf), [CEA, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector, version 22.0 (FY 2025-26 grid factor)](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-view?mappingId=234&lang=en)

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.