This large format Co-op grocery store had gas fired boiler plant and air handling units that were aged and had failed, causing a poor working environment in the store. The site had a temporary heating solution in place, which was very expensive to run and not environmentally friendly. A permanent, cost-effective energy solution was urgently required.

We surveyed the existing equipment to see what could be reused and what needed to be upgraded for energy efficiencies and overall system performance. We found that the gas boilers were beyond salvaging, so we replaced them with modern gas fired boilers, which delivered a 10% increase in efficiency.

The existing Air Handling Unit Fans were powered by asynchronous motors, which
have a number of drawbacks, including a detrimental effect on air quality and an energy efficiency of less than 70%. We replaced them with EC plug fans, which can be easily regulated for efficiency levels of 90%. The client will also see benefits in servicing costs through the lifetime of the units.

We were able to meet the client’s brief and provide a cost-effective energy solution that made use of some of the existing kit, while gaining energy efficiencies with new technology available to retrofit the existing equipment.