Setting Your Gelato Freezer Temperature to −22°C Instead of −18°C Could Be Costing You over $1000 More Each Year

Many gelato operators believe colder is safer.

If −18°C is good, then −22°C must be better… right?

Not necessarily.

Running your gelato freezer or display cabinet colder than needed can significantly increase electricity costs — without improving product protection.

Let’s look at the numbers.

What Is the Ideal Gelato Freezer Temperature?

For most artisan gelato:

−14°C to −18°C is the optimal serving range for display cabinets.
Storage freezers are commonly set at −18°C.

Colder temperatures do not improve texture stability once you are within the correct range. Instead, they increase energy consumption and mechanical stress on the compressor.

The Physics: Why 4°C Colder Matters

Electricity use in a freezer is directly related to the temperature difference between:

• Ambient shop temperature (often ~25°C)

• Freezer setpoint

At −18°C:
25 − (−18) = 43°C temperature difference

At −22°C:
25 − (−22) = 47°C temperature difference

That’s a 9.3% increase in heat load.

When you include reduced compressor efficiency at lower evaporating temperatures, the real-world increase is typically:

10–15% higher electricity consumption all from a 4°C lower setpoint.

What Does That Mean in Real Money?

Let’s assume a typical gelato display cabinet uses:

10 kWh per day at −18°C

Annual consumption:
10 × 365 = 3,650 kWh

At $0.35 per kWh:
= $1,277 per year

If running at −22°C increases usage by 12%:

Extra 438 kWh per year
438 × $0.35 = $153 extra per cabinet per year

If you operate:

• 4 cabinets → ~$600 extra annually
• 6 cabinets → ~$900 extra annually
• 10 cabinets → $1,500+ annually

And that’s every year.

Colder Does Not Mean Safer

Running too cold can also:

• Overwork compressors

• Increase maintenance frequency

• Increase icing

• Create unnecessarily hard product during service

Optimal temperature is about control — not excess.

The Real Problem: Most Operators Don’t Know

Without continuous monitoring and trend data, you may not realise:

• Your thermostat has drifted

• A technician set it lower “to be safe”

• Overnight cycles are pushing temperatures lower than intended

Manual log sheets won’t reveal this.

Trend graphs will.

Monitoring Isn’t Just About Alarms

Professional gelato freezer temperature monitoring allows you to:

• Detect temperature drift

• Identify overcooling

• Optimise setpoints

• Reduce electricity costs

• Protect product from real failures

It’s not just about compliance.

It’s about protecting margin.

Protect Product & Control Energy

If you operate gelato display cabinets or storage freezers, maintaining the correct temperature matters — both for quality and for operating cost.

Start Monitoring Today

Subscription monitoring is available from $22 per asset per month or $60 per asset per quarter

→ Start Monthly Billing $22 per month per monitoring point

→ Start Quarterly Billing (Best Value) $60 per quarter per monitoring point

For Further Information here is a list of Related Dairy Product Temperature Guides