Nunes, JoséSilva, Pedro Dinho daAndrade, Luís P.Gaspar, Pedro Dinis2019-10-232019-10-232014http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/7345In Portugal the meat sector occupies the highest rank within the food industry having its electricity consumption grown at a high pace mainly due to the intense use of refrigeration systems. This paper assesses the electric energy consumption profile of Portuguese meat industries and estimates the potential savings with a set of simple energy efficiency measures which result from the best practices in the sector. Taking in account the fieldwork, some of the most relevant measures carried out are: to improve production process management in order to avoid the use of cold chambers partially loaded; to improve thermal resistance of the buildings envelope, cold chambers and refrigeration pipes; to avoid installation of condensation groups in warm places (exposed to solar radiation or in non-ventilated attics). The results show a potential reduction in electricity consumption of 24% for slaughterhouses (474 MWh), 13% for sausage houses (322 MWh), and 8% for ham production (708 MWh).engEnergy consumptionEnergy efficiencyElectrical energyRefrigerationCold chambersMeat industryjournal article