What Is a Cold Room? Chiller vs Freezer Explained

What is a cold room?

A cold room is an insulated, temperature-controlled space used to store products at a consistent chilled or frozen temperature. Cold rooms are widely used in restaurants, supermarkets, catering businesses, food production facilities, warehouses and other commercial environments where reliable temperature control is essential.

Unlike a domestic refrigerator or freezer, a commercial cold room can be designed around the available space and the amount of storage required. The room itself is normally constructed from insulated panels and combined with an insulated door, refrigeration equipment and a temperature controller.

How does a cold room work?

A cold room works by limiting heat transfer through its insulated walls, ceiling and door while a refrigeration system removes heat from inside the room.

The refrigeration equipment and insulation therefore work together. Good refrigeration equipment cannot compensate efficiently for inadequate insulation, damaged door seals or excessive air entering through an open door.

For this reason, the room construction, insulation, door and refrigeration system should be considered together when planning a cold room.

What is a chiller room?

A chiller room is designed for products that need to be kept refrigerated but not frozen. Typical applications include fresh food, dairy products, beverages, ingredients and other temperature-sensitive goods.

The required operating temperature will depend on what is being stored, so the room and refrigeration equipment should be selected for the particular application rather than simply choosing a standard system based on room size.

What is a freezer room?

A freezer room is designed for products that need to remain frozen. Because it operates at substantially lower temperatures than a chiller room, insulation, doors and refrigeration equipment must all be suitable for low-temperature operation.

Freezer applications generally require greater insulation. Door sealing is also particularly important because warm, humid air entering the room can contribute to condensation and ice formation.

For example, the MES Cooling door range specifies 68 mm insulation for chiller doors and 92 mm for freezer doors, with heated seals available for freezer applications.

What are the main components of a cold room?

Most commercial cold rooms consist of four main elements:

Insulated panels form the walls and ceiling and help minimise heat transfer. MES Cooling's PIR panel range includes 80 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm thickness options.

Cold room doors provide insulated access to the room. Hinged and sliding designs are available, with different specifications for chiller and freezer applications.

Refrigeration equipment removes heat from the room and maintains the required operating temperature. The correct capacity depends on considerably more than room dimensions alone.

Temperature controls regulate and monitor operation. Connected controllers can also provide functions such as remote monitoring, temperature logging and fault notifications. The FROSTAGE IoT controller in the MES range, for example, provides Wi-Fi remote access and temperature data logging.

Chiller or freezer: which do you need?

The starting point should always be the product being stored and its required storage temperature.

If products need refrigeration without freezing, a chiller room will normally be appropriate. If products must remain frozen, a freezer room and components designed for low-temperature operation will be required.

Room dimensions are important, but they are only part of the specification. Ambient conditions, insulation, product load, frequency of door opening and the temperature of products entering the room can all affect system requirements.

Planning a cold room project

Before choosing individual components, establish the required internal dimensions, operating temperature and intended use of the room. From there, the appropriate panel specification, door arrangement, refrigeration capacity and controls can be selected.

MES Cooling supplies cold room panels, hinged and sliding doors, refrigeration units, controllers and associated components for commercial cold room projects