In supermarkets, refrigeration and lighting are considered the biggest energy consumers. Together they are responsible for about 60% of the total energy demand. That is why REWE Group in Austria is particularly concerned with measures to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in these areas as part of its comprehensive sustainability programme.
Already more than 1,100 energy-efficient shops of BILLA, BILLA PLUS, BIPA and PENNY
With this goal in mind, innovative energy concepts - keyword Green Building - have been consistently implemented and continuously expanded since 2006. As a result, energy consumption has been continuously reduced in relation to expansion in recent years. Already at the beginning of 2008, the electricity procurement for stores, warehouses and central buildings was switched to certified green electricity. In 2021, 88 percent of the green electricity came from hydropower, 8 percent from wind power, 2 percent from photovoltaics, 1 percent from biogas and 1 percent from other green energy. Existing branches are also gradually being retrofitted and equipped with energy-efficient refrigeration systems (with heat recovery where possible). Currently, the measures save up to 40% energy per converted store and the conversion to heat recovery eliminates the use of fossil fuels.
234 photovoltaic systems on branch and warehouse roofs by the end of the year
In 2022, 112 new photovoltaic plants with a capacity of over 10 megawatts will be commissioned. In addition, there will be 12 energy storage systems with a storage capacity of approx. 600 kWh. As of 2021, there were already 122 PV plants with a total capacity of approximately 7.5 MWp.
"REWE Group aims to become climate neutral at the corporate level in all countries by 2040. By 2030, we want to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by a further 30 per cent compared to 2019. On this path, sensible but also economic measures such as sustainable construction and the energy-efficient operation of our stores are crucial. The use of LED lighting, measures for more energy-efficient cooling and new, more energy-efficient stores also made a significant contribution. Overall, this success demonstrates the effectiveness of the energy management systems implemented. We will continue to work on constantly improving and increasing our energy efficiency." assures Robert Nagele, BILLA board member responsible for real estate and location development.
"Refrigeration Partner Conference 2022"
Commitment to the care of the refrigeration equipment is essential to maintain the quality of the cooling. Maintenance and control of the systems contribute to lower power consumption, refrigerant leakage and the prevention of malfunctions and failures. The first priority for optimisation is always function (operational safety, temperature quality), followed by energy and maintenance costs and the environment (refrigerants, heat recovery instead of fossil fuels).
Every two years, REWE Group in Austria invites representatives of refrigeration companies and system suppliers to the Refrigeration Partner Conference to exchange experiences. The participants discuss topics such as energy optimisation or operational and temperature safety. As part of the event, an energy efficiency prize is awarded to those partner companies that optimise serviced refrigeration equipment for the most resource-efficient operation. This year, the prize was awarded for the seventh time.
"We would like to sincerely thank all our refrigeration partners for their commitment and congratulate in particular the Reindl company for the first place. We are very proud that a lot has already been achieved since the refrigeration partner meetings began in 2013: Leakages have been halved, damage to goods has been reduced by 80% since the introduction of remote monitoring and we have also been able to reduce electricity consumption by over 5%. I am convinced that we will be able to achieve great things for climate protection in the coming years together with our numerous refrigeration partners," says Robert Nagele, BILLA CEO responsible for real estate and location development.
