SHELTON, CONN.—Budderfly, #10 overall and #2 in energy on the 2021 Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies list, announced a partnership with KE2 Therm Solutions, a leading developer and manufacturer of smart refrigeration controllers. The agreement enables Budderfly EnergyCloud’s learning algorithms to integrate with KE2 Therm’s KE2 Evaporator Efficiency refrigeration controller for the most efficient operation and precise temperature control of refrigerated spaces. Results are displayed on Budderfly’s real-time dashboard where automated alarms are triggered, and owners notified if components exceed set thresholds.
Effective operation and control of refrigerated spaces are critical to avoid catastrophic loss of perishable product. A typical walk-in freezer or cooler can hold thousands of dollars of product at any given time. The ability to remotely monitor and control refrigeration systems and receive proactive alerts will greatly reduce exposure to potential losses.
The resulting integration of KE2 Therm’s technology into Budderfly’s Energy Efficiency as a Service (EEaaS) offering provides convenience stores, education facilities, Quick Serve Restaurants (QSR), and other organizations with older commercial refrigeration units, a no-cost upgrade to improve system operation and provide real-time monitoring capabilities. With Budderfly’s modifications, the KE2 Therm controllers bring all data into one consolidated Budderfly dashboard to help reduce excessive energy consumption and extend the unit’s lifecycle with less customer effort and more operational clarity across all monitored units. The added layer of adaptive defrost and temperature control also promotes safety by eliminating hazards such as ice formation on floors and ceilings.
ROI Can be Immediate
“If an organization is not ready to spend money on new refrigeration equipment, they can cost-effectively upgrade their existing units and get all the benefits delivered by more expensive options,” said Jeff Kavanagh, Vice President of Sales, KE2 Therm. “With our Budderfly EEaaS integration, the ROI can be immediate and, in some cases, extend refrigeration unit operation well beyond the expected lifecycle.”
In addition to monitoring all refrigeration operations in one convenient location, performance can be remotely adjusted if signs of significant changes are recorded outside the established baseline. For example, if runtime, fan operation, or compressors are using excessive power, that data will be captured by Budderfly where a qualified technician will make appropriate adjustments to bring energy consumption back to optimal performance. The owner will then be alerted of a possible component failure or if required maintenance is recommended.
“Refrigeration devices often show multiple symptoms of failure long before they actually break down and—excessive power use is a primary indicator,” said Al Subbloie, CEO, Budderfly. “Unfortunately, a qualified technician is not frequently checking units to address the symptoms as they occur. The KE2 Therm partnership gives our customers a digital technician to monitor refrigeration 24/7, promoting sustainability and energy efficiency.”
