In December of 2007, the United States Congress passed legislation to set requirements for walk-in coolers & freezers related to insulation factors and energy consumption. These requirements, signed by the President of the United States, took effect January 1, 2009 and are as follows.

• Automatic Door Closing Device
• Strip Curtains or Air Curtains on Hinged Doors
• R-25 Insulation in Cooler Walls, Doors, & Ceilings
• R-32 Insulation in Freezer Walls, Doors, & Ceilings
• R-28 Insulation in Freezer Floors
• High Efficiency Motors on Condensing Unit and Evaporator Fans
• High Efficiency Lighting and/or Automatic(Occupancy) Light Switches
• Double Pane View Windows in Coolers if specified
• Triple Pane View Windows in Freezers if specified
• Efficient Defrost Systems on Walk-Ins with Glass Doors

American Panel meets, and in most cases, exceeds all of the above requirements.

In addition to meeting the government mandated requirements above you can also endeavor to obtain LEED certification. LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" and is a overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council (U.S.G.B.C.). This group is dedicated to developing and expanding sustainable construction and building methods. A building owner and his/her architectural team can apply to the U.S.G.B.C. to become LEED certified.

Items such as those shown above contribute to the criteria for LEED certification. While rewards vary, some utility companies, municipalities and other taxing agencies offer discounts and/or rebate packages to companies that have gained LEED certification. Add to that the fact the machinery you'll be using consumes less energy and LEED certification is a real bonus.

For more information on the U.S.G.B.C. LEED certification program, click here.

Definitions:
• K-Factor - Amount of heat conduction through 1" of insulation
• U-Factor - Resistance to heat conduction through 1" of insulation
• R-Factor - Total Resistance of heat transfer

Our Values:
• K-Factor - .1378 for Coolers / .1232 for Freezers
• U-Factor - 7.257 for Coolers / 8.117 for Freezers
• 4"Panel R-Factor - 29.03 for Coolers / 32.47 for Freezers
• 5" Panel R-Factor - 36.29 for Coolers / 40.59 for Freezers