Evaluation of Innovative Anti-Fog Coating Technologies in Refrigerated Display Cabinets for Optical Transparency and Energy Savings

Glass fogging in refrigerated display cabinets (RDCs) reduces product visibility, thereby increasing door-opening frequency, and substantially elevates energy consumption, making effective anti-fog solutions a critical priority for commercial refrigeration. This study evaluates next-generation glass surface coating technologies through a combination of a systematic literature review and experimental analyses conducted under ISO 23953-2:2023 Climate Class 3 conditions. The study examines superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surface modifications, transparent conductive oxide (TCO), indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), silicate-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composites, and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) based structures produced via vacuum deposition, laser ablation, and layer-by-layer deposition. Experimental findings show that using this anti-fog coating can reduce total energy consumption by up to 22% compared to anti-sweat heater systems. This improvement is achieved by eliminating continuous electric heating. These results confirm that next-generation anti-fog glass technologies offer a technically sound and energy-efficient solution for sustainable commercial refrigeration systems.