A good deal of experience is required to make a correct calculation of a cold store's refrigeration requirement and this should therefore only be done by a qualified person. The following calculation is not complete but it serves two purposes. It allows the reader to make a similar calculation for his own store and thereby obtain an approximate refrigeration requirement. It also helps the reader to appreciate the number of factors that have to be taken into account in calculating the heat load and also gives him some idea of their relative importance.
One important heat load that has been omitted in the calculation is the heat gain due to solar radiation. This factor depends on a number of conditions which are related to both the location of the store and its method of construction. In some cases, solar heat load may not be significant but in other instances, precautions may be necessary to reduce its effect.