With the grocery sector producing the biggest share of retail’s carbon emissions, improving the energy efficiency of systems that keep refrigeration equipment at accurate temperatures for food safety will also be key to meeting the British Retail Consortium’s commitment to net zero by 2040. Gareth Ash, Marketing Communications Manager at Danfoss, considers the solutions for the many challenges facing end users and installers in the growing convenience store sector.
Refrigeration and rising energy costs
Refrigeration alone typically accounts for over 50% of the total electricity bill annually in a convenience store, and with energy costs increasing significantly, many end users are not only looking at the initial purchase price of the equipment but are also considering the whole life-cycle costs and environmental impact of equipment (direct and indirect emissions). This includes initial purchase cost, installation cost, operating and maintenance cost, and end of life costs, and equally, the time of the ROI (Return on Investment). Quite often what appears the cheapest option turns out to be very different when you look at the total cost of ownership.
Seasonal energy efficiency
Generally, a condensing unit is designed to operate at peak load conditions in the summer months, however due to ambient temperature variations between summer and winter, peak load demands happen less frequently. The Danfoss Optyma Plus Inverter uses capacity modulation to ensure seasonal energy efficiency to reduce the energy bill and improve fresh food quality. When compared to similar technologies, Annual Operating Costs, the cost of electric per kWh per year, for example, can be reduced between 30 and 55% by using reliable technologies that are available now such as Optyma Plus Inverter condensing units which offer a fast ROI.
Future-proof refrigerants
As Fluorinated Gases (F-Gas) regulations tighten, new Danfoss Optyma condensing and controls using ultra-low GWP A2L refrigerants, R454C, R455A and 1234yf are available now, all with under 150 GWP. This offers significant environmental benefits with over 90% reduction in GWP (Global Warming Potential) compared with traditional refrigerants. All Optyma packaged condensing units have microchannel condensers, reducing the refrigerant charge by up to 35% compared with fin and tube condensers and increasing the energy efficiency, which lowers operating costs. Optyma are acoustically lined for low noise, something that convenience stores and specifiers must consider in residential areas. Optyma Plus are designed for space saving with easy access for the contractor during installation, commissioning, and service. Additionally, for added peace of mind when specifying a solution, Optyma condensing units are PED certified (Pressure Equipment Directive)
Danfoss is already taking this a step further with condensing units that use CO2, with the first model, Optyma Plus iC02, suitable for small store formats. C02 is recognised by many as the most viable and efficient solution among natural refrigerants in food retail applications.
Food safety and hygiene
For the management of foodstuffs, hygiene and safety, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), or an equal standard, is a legal requirement and food businesses must develop their own procedures based on the internationally recognised guidance principles. Food safety is a priority for the supplier and consumer and compliance exists to make sure that the food is safe to eat.
Part of HACCP is the monitoring and recording of temperatures and keeping historical records of the temperature at which the food has been stored. This is often carried out by the manual monitoring of temperatures and rely on the shop owners and staff to record the temperatures accurately and routinely. If left unmanaged, this method carries risk and challenges and legal compliance is not always fulfilled.
HACCP management
Danfoss provides solutions for small, medium, and large stores. For small store format, (Prosa SC4) stand-alone, cloud-based temperature monitoring, hourly HACCP reports are automated and exportable. Temperature alarms provide visibility of food-service assets around the clock so no more manual monitoring of temperatures.
For others store formats, ADAP-KOOL system managers 800 series provide real time intelligent temperature monitoring for accurate HACCP compliant reporting, and early warning for reducing food waste. Temperature alarms alert the end user 24/7 365 days a year of abnormal operations, thereby increasing food quality. The Smart Store To-Go of today can provide intelligent control and facilities management, that does much more than recording refrigeration temperature and gas detection alone, with Danfoss System Manager you can take control, manage, and monitor data points that may be overlooked, such as HVAC, perimeter and store lighting schedules, energy hungry ovens, coffee machines, display case lighting, car wash, door heaters, and water interceptors, all of which can consume a significant amount of energy and cost over their operational life.
In conjunction with Danfoss System Manager 800 Series, the Alsense cloud platform underpins our IoT solutions for complete remote visibility of each store, individual or multiple site owners, which may include franchised outlets, can benchmark and monitor energy consumption and decide which of the stores would benefit most from energy optimisation and management. With a Smart Store To-Go, retailers can expect substantial cost savings and healthier bottom-line profits.
Decarbonisation with Danfoss Heat Recovery Unit
For medium/large stores, supermarket heating bills can be reduced with a Danfoss heat recovery unit (HRU). The prefabricated modular substations are integrated into the C02 multi-compressor pack systems. Waste heat can be turned into free heat (hot water) without using any fossil fuels. The HRU substation can be stand-alone (non-networked) or monitored by the brain of the smart store, ADAP-KOOL system managers 800 series, making the HRU data visible remotely. This is also available for alternative third party protocols.
Plug-and-play package
At Danfoss, we work with countless refrigeration manufacturers, wholesalers, and installers to address the challenges of this sector and drive greater levels of safety, reliability, and energy efficiency. Our refrigeration solutions are installed in more than 70,000 convenience stores around the globe and from this extensive experience we have developed the new Danfoss Smart Store To-Go Solutions. For cold rooms to chilled and frozen food display cases, this plug-and-play package is designed to cover all store applications with components and support that are easily customisable to the individual needs of each store – and all from a single supplier.
elemental’s upcoming webinar –Sustainable supermarkets – how food retailers can get to net zero – is in association with Danfoss.
Free registration: crowdcast.io/e/sustainable-supermarkets
