Introduction
The use of ice for drinks, preserving and cooling food, and various other commercial purposes is
common today, but it was not always so. Before the development of the commercial ice machine
industry, ice was produced at large central ice plants and delivered to the commercial user in the
form of either blocks or crushed ice. The crushed and block ice market is still a viable industry,
but commercial ice machines have replaced delivered ice in routine commercial activities. The
purpose of this paper is to summarize the operational characteristics of commercial ice machines
and to examine the potential for both water and energy savings from a California-based
perspective. To do this, five items will be examined, including:
1. Types of Ice-making Equipment
2. Ice Machine Market Dynamics
3. Regulations and Incentives
4. Energy and Water Use Chrematistics
5. Potential Future Water and Energy Savings