Freezer burn: Did the fridge freezer help drive our carbon intensive existence?
The complex relationship between industry and carbon reduction.
The 1970’s saw a boom in home freezer purchases as they became more affordable. Initially this allowed households to preserve whole foods. However, food manufacturers saw an opportunity for a new sector within the industry for convenience frozen meals bringing to market products like crispy pancakes.
One supermarket brand during this period sold freezers to help encourage the sales of frozen food. And according to the documentary, ‘The 1970s Supermarket’, at the time, they had to label freezer sockets to say “do not unplug” as consumers were in the habit of unplugging items if they were away from home for a significant amount of time. This constant pull of electricity from National Grid had to come from somewhere.
Popularity of freezers meant people could buy more, supermarket trollies got bigger and so did the stores. Simultaneously, the number of cars purchased rose playing a part in the weekly big shop and greenhouse gases emitted. Furthermore, fulfilling the demand for frozen products, retailers similarly had to increase their cold storage capacity.
SSE’s Digital Services’ Data and Analytics team analysed the energy demand for a well-known supermarket using its in-house technology. In their analysis they were able to calculate if the supermarket turned off its cold store for 1 hour across circa 800 stores, it could reduce its demand by 2 megawatts (MW). Doing this would have zero effect on the food standards kept in the cold room. The storerooms would then ramp up at a time when electricity is cheaper and less carbon intensive.
As businesses recognise their role in contributing to sustainability, the focus on adopting the least carbon-intensive kilowatt-hour (kWh) has gained prominence. Enabling this will require granular data, the use of digital twins, AI and machine learning to optimise business’s energy demand and maximising the benefits of participating in flexibility markets.
The Importance of Energy Data in Decision-Making
Near Real-Time Monitoring enables Dynamic Decision-Making for Improvements:
Near real-time energy data monitoring empowers businesses to respond promptly to changes in energy demand and supply. Energy data plays a pivotal role in benchmarking performance against industry standards and best practices. This can be delivered by SSE’s Business Energy Intelligence (BEI) platform.
Technological Solutions for Carbon Intensive kWh Reduction
Energy Efficiency Technologies:
The Carbon Trust, founded by the UK government, estimates that businesses can achieve energy savings of up to 20% through the implementation of energy-efficient practices. The adoption of smart building technologies, powered by Internet of Things (IoT) devices and machine learning enables real-time monitoring and adaptive control of energy use. This not only enhances efficiency but also provides valuable data insights for ongoing optimisation. SSE Energy Solutions’ Digital Services provides a holistic approach from collecting data at source, installing meters, and using propriety technology to analyse your building or estate energy system to use the least carbon intensive kilowatt hour.
__Find out more about Digital Services visit: https://www.sseenergysolutions.co.uk/distributed-energy-infrastructure/digital-services.
