What are the differences between residential and business refrigeration?

Refrigeration remains one of the most game-changing inventions mankind has ever developed, with a worldwide impact on how we preserve and think about food. This invention is also tangentially related to increasing our lifespans dramatically and making sure that food-borne diseases are much less ubiquitous.
In 2021, we tend to take this for granted, but should the power to our homes be cut for over four hours, we begin to understand just how much we still rely on this.
That said, refrigeration is not only a practice utilized within our homes, but also operates as an essential part of the commercial sector. An important point to make here is that refrigeration is not only used for storing food, as curating a sustained cool temperature in an enclosed environment has many
universal purposes.
The most recent example of this is how many Covid-19 mRNA vaccines had to be transported and stored at room temperature in order to preserve their ingredients.
In this post, we’ll discuss the differences between residential and business refrigeration.

What are those differences?

Residential

Most residential refrigeration will be geared towards food preservation. They tend to offer multiple shelving areas to separate different foodstuffs, such as raw and cooked meat, dairy products, and vegetables. They may contain an ice maker or water filtration system.
They will often be designed with a modernist, simple aesthetic so that they fit into most home environments comfortably and cleanly. They will rarely be taller than 72 inches in height, although smaller, waist-high, and mini-refrigerators are also popular. Some modern refrigerators offer smart connectivity, allowing you to curate a grocery list, or serve your needs via a connected voice assistant. They are also energy-efficient, aiding in the effort to reduce household energy costs.

Industrial

The main changes you notice when stepping from residential to industrial refrigerators are the scope and layout of how they are installed. Commercial refrigerators can be the size of an entire room allowing for walk-ins, which you often see in modern restaurant setups.

Commercial

Commercial refrigerators will have much more cooling power by removing the heat and cooling the air. Multiple temperature sensors and alarms will be installed inside commercial refrigerators because if the machine is faulty, that could potentially lead to thousands of dollars of lost inventory.
Commercial refrigerators will also offer larger storage capacities, as well as large shelving units which are easy to clean in order to prevent the spread of bacteria. Technologies not commonly found in residential refrigerators but common in industrial settings include automation logic, forced air circulation, and stronger power compressors.
While commercial refrigerators can look similar on the surface to residential options, they are generally sturdier, require specialist maintenance, and are installed with prime efficiency and long-term function in mind. You often also have access to better support like Design Mechanical, Inc.’s commercial refrigeration services can keep your system running with minimal downtime.