Haier at Herlev

Herlev Hospital has inaugurated a new, large-scale freezer hotel equipped with water-cooled Haier freezers supplied by Holm & Halby.

Over recent years, the hospital has been focused on constructing this expansive freezer hotel, featuring water-cooled Haier freezers from Holm & Halby.

This development offers substantial freezing capacity, low energy consumption, and efficient operation, in addition to Haier freezers being competitively priced compared to other manufacturers.

Historically, water-cooled laboratory freezers have been approximately 30% more expensive than their air-cooled counterparts. However, Haier, the world's largest manufacturer of freezers, has changed this dynamic by pricing water and air-cooling systems equivalently. This pricing strategy is one of several compelling reasons why Herlev Hospital is now basing its new, large-scale regional freezer hotel on Haier’s groundbreaking products.

Double the Freezing Capacity
The major advantage of water-cooled freezers is their ability to be positioned much closer together than air-cooled models. Consequently, once fully operational, Herlev Hospital’s freezer hotel will accommodate up to 500 freezers. Additionally, Haier freezers feature an exceptionally large internal volume of 959 liters.

As the hospital phases out older air-cooled freezers, they will be replaced with water-cooled models from Haier. This transition is expected to double the freezing capacity per square meter compared to previous capabilities.

V-drive for Energy Savings 
Haier freezers are equipped with a standard frequency-controlled compressor, also known as V-drive, which reduces electricity consumption, noise levels, and extends the compressor’s lifespan while emitting half the heat of non-frequency controlled freezers. Despite these clear benefits typically commanding a premium, Haier has significantly raised the bar for what can be expected from a standard product.

Easier Operation
Another notable advantage of Haier freezers is their large, well-designed touchscreen, which provides easy access to essential operational information such as temperature curves and error messages.

Moreover, each freezer is equipped with six sensors that continuously monitor operation, facilitating the identification of potential errors or operational disruptions. For instance, the sensors can detect if a door has been left open too long or if there is a lack of water supply, enabling swift and effective troubleshooting.

"We expect to support a significantly larger number of freezers with the same staffing level, as Haier significantly simplifies operations. The user-friendliness has been thoroughly considered, and when scaled across several hundred units, this has a significant impact on our daily work," says Philip Køster, Facilities Coordinator at the Centre for Properties, Capital Region of Denmark.

Reuse of Excess Heat
Herlev Hospital plans to transfer the excess heat from the numerous units in the freezer hotel to a so-called cooling loop that circulates throughout all hospital buildings. This will allow nearly 50% of the freezers’ excess heat to be repurposed for other uses, significantly reducing the need for air conditioning within the freezer hotel itself. This represents energy savings on multiple levels.

Haier Expands to Hospital Departments
While a significant portion of the hospital’s growing need for freezer capacity will be met by the freezer hotel, there remains a continuous demand for freezers within individual departments. Department staff, in principle, decide independently on their purchases, though the Centre for Properties is often consulted for advice. Going forward, the recommendation will be to choose Haier. “The recommendation is almost self-evident, given the exceptional price-quality ratio. These are truly excellent products at a very competitive price, which I believe will significantly influence the market in the coming years,” says Philip Køster.