Sainsbury’s is pioneering new technology that is heating stores using the warmth from the back of the fridge.
Just like home refrigerators, fridges in supermarkets produce excess heat. The new technology, which is a heat chamber installed in the ground below the supermarket, collects that waste heat from the back of the store’s fridges and stores it to be used in the colder months.
100% of the store’s heating can be provided using new ground-source heaters, and the technology cuts overall energy consumption by more than 30 per cent.
How does it work?
- Fridges produce heat as part of the refrigeration process – just like the fridge at home
- This heat – which would otherwise be lost as waste – is transported to an underground vault through a series of pipes
- The heat is kept underground using subsurface rock, which has good insulating properties
- When it is required, the heat is pumped back into the store at whatever rate is needed.
- Store heating bills are cut, as less energy is needed from the National Grid
Heating technology specialists Geoscart are working with Sainsbury’s and British Gas to provide ground-source heating across 100 stores.
Paul Crewe, Head of Sustainability, Engineering & Energy at Sainsbury’s said:
‘We’re delighted to be leading the way on this ground-breaking technology – helping to reduce energy use and carbon.
‘I hope that with Geoscart’s help we’ll now see more retailers following suit.’
Source: Sainsbury’s
