This article mainly describes the electrical energy consumption situations in Grocery sores of different countries and give a solution on how to save electricity for groceries, especially for refrigeration cost saving.
With the worldwide economy developments, the energy consumption becomes more and more huge. This article mainly describes the electrical energy consumption situations in Grocery stores of different countries and give a solution on how to save electricity for groceries, especially for refrigeration cost saving.

Let’s look at some figures from China, USA and Australia, etc on electrical energy consumption situations.

As per the investigation in 2012 by China Chain Management Association(CCAA) , in China, the total consumed electricity energy of 5 kinds of groceries ( Appliance store、convenience store, supermarket, hypermarket and department store) is more than 30 billion kwh.  refrigeration ,air conditioning and lights consume more than 80% of electricity energy of groceries.(See Figure 1 and 2  from CCAA).To save 1kw means what we can get ? with today’s retail net profit 1%-2%, to save 1Kw means the profit what we can get from every 100 RMB sales. So CCAA encourages all of groceries with the slogan “ to save1 kwh means to increase 100 CNY sales”

Figure 1

Figure 2

Things in other countries are quite similar. Let’s look at USA’s grocery energy cost compositions.

“Grocery stores in the US use an average of 52.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per square foot annually. In a typical grocery, refrigeration and lighting represent about 65 percent of total use (Figure 3), making these systems the best targets for energy savings. Energy costs can account for up to 15 percent of a grocery store’s operating budget. Because grocery stores’ profit margins are so thin—on the order of 1 percent—every dollar in energy savings is equivalent to increasing sales by $59.” 【1】

The consumption component of the bill is based on how much electricity, in kWh, the building consumes during a month. The demand component is the peak demand, in kilowatts (kW), occurring within the month or, for some utilities, during the previous 12 months.

Figure 3

In Australia,  as per the relative investigation from the government, The total supermarket industry consumes the best part of 4% of all electricity sent out in Australia. And around 2000Gwh per annum on medium temperature equipment without doors and lids.  Refrigeration is by far the biggest component, sometimes using as much as 40% of total energy for the entire store.

In the UK, the supermarket’s electricity consumption accounts for 5% of the national power consumption.

Now grocery operators all of the world are under tremendous pressure on how to reduce their energy costs and increase their sales. From above electricity composition figures from different countries, , we can see that REFRIGERATION  is the biggest part consuming more than 40% of electricity in all grocery stores, so how to reduce Refrigeration costs becomes No.1 task for every retailer.   Also many countries have taken measures to encourage groceries to choose energy-efficient products, especially energy-efficient commercial refrigerators, such as refrigerated display cases, walk-in chiller & freezer,etc

If you are an new grocery operator, Choosing the right cold display cases is essential to increase the sales and decrease the running costs.  According to a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR),The report mentions that the global refrigerated display cases (RDCs )market growth is forecast to be driven by demand for plug-in or self-contained systems as compared to remote systems. ART self contained glass door merchandiser might give you some ideas on how to get electricity-saving refrigerated cases.

For the current retailers, then you can think about the following Refrigeration optimization measures to obtain energy-saving purpose.

1.To retrofit open display cases by adding glass doors—the best way for energy-saving, up to 75% reduction in refrigeration load when compared to open front cases

Why Retrofitting of open refrigerated display cases with glass doors ?

In UK, since 2013, the British famous Co-ops supermarket has started to retrofit their open front cases( Refrigerator) by adding glass doors. These refrigerators are mainly used for refrigerated dairy products and fresh meat, which are the main energy consumption of the supermarket. In 2014, Co-ops supermarket has finished the retrofits for 100 stores , 50 million pounds of annual energy cost has been saved.

Britain’s largest chain of supermarkets Tesco also expressed support for the glass door retrofitting program. At present, Tesco 1800 fast stores have been retrofitted glass doors.

In France,  a supermarket voluntary agreement also stipulates that three quarters of the open display cabinets all over of France will be installed retrofitting glass doors by 2020, which is expected to reduce France by 1% of electricity costs.

Advanced Refrigeration Technology is the specialist manufacturer of retrofitting glass doors for open display cases and cabinets, in Last 20 years, our products have brought more and more profits for supermarkets owners of Australia. For MORE DETAILS

2. to add night-blinds , the most easy and economic way for retailers

Night-blinds have the ability to save energy and keep food fresh and good hygiene . At night, Refrigeration display cabinets should be fitted night-blinds with energy-saving materials, which will save energy when the store closes on public holidays or on weekends.

3.Upgrading evaporator- fan motors to EC ones

EC(Electronica Commutated) — The control system and fan are incorporated together, during the process, the input is AC, but the running current is high-voltage DC, the advantage is to eliminate the AC power factor influence and improve the efficiency of electricity use.Because the efficiency is far superior to the AC fan motor, the EC fan motor reduces heat transfer to the refrigerated area, which is naturally a great advantage for cooling applications. At the same time, less energy consumption can further improve the overall efficiency of the refrigeration unit.

4. To install LED energy-efficiency lighting

Lighting is critical to creating ambiance and making merchandiser attractive to shoppers. High-quality lighting design can reduce energy bills and drive sales. As for Refrigerated display case lighting, The efficiency of LEDs improves in cold operating environments (unlike linear fluorescent systems, the light output of which drops in low temperatures). LEDs are also directional in nature, allowing for less wasted light. As a result, LED case lighting can cut lighting energy use by more than 40 percent compared to T8 fluorescent lamps.

5.Anti-sweat heater controls. The latest anti-sweat heater controls sense humidity in the store’s ambient air and reduce the operation of their heaters in low-humidity conditions. They promise significant savings and quick payback, and they are relatively easy to install. Savings can be in the 6 percent to 20 percent range, according to the Washington State Energy Solutions Database. [2]

6.Smart defrost controllers. When installed in walk-in freezers, a smart defrost controller monitors several variables and optimizes the number of daily defrost cycles. Adding these kits can save hundreds of dollars a year per freezer, compared to conventional defrosting practices, depending on the size of the freezer. [3]

 

Resources:

[1] [2][3] Business Energy advisor website https://fpl.bizenergyadvisor.com/grocery-stores#sthash.HEyN9gpB.dpuf