The UK could shave one per cent off its electricity usage if its five biggest supermarkets put doors on their fridges, campaigners have said.
According to the BBC, the Environmental Investigation Agency believes the move would cut grocers’ electricity bills by a third.
It comes after Aldi pledged to install the doors in its new and newly-refurbished stores, reportedly saving 2000 tonnes of carbon a year.
Glamorgan cricketer and environmental activist Joe Cooke advised other supermarkets to follow suit.
READ MORE: Aldi to cut carbon emissions by introducing fridge doors
“It could save so much energy,” he said.
“That’s going to be so important for us as we try to decarbonise and make the changes to become a greener country.”
Cooke claimed that only Aldi and the Co-op had committed to installing fridge doors.
Aldi UK corporate responsibility director Mary Dunn hailed a “new, more sustainable shopping experience” when she made the announcement in August.
The move is expected to reduce its electricity bills by 20 per cent.
However, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer said they would use “air wall” technology to save energy, which forces cold air to the back of open displays.
Lidl apparently uses curtains when its stores are closed and Asda will trial doors on chilled displays in 2022.
Ulla Lindberg, a researcher with Swedish fridge maker Haglund Industry, said fridges with doors outperform even the most efficient open displays.
Moreover, they mean supermarkets can save money on heating their chilled sections, she continued.
“Half of the energy in a supermarket is from the refrigeration so that means that you cut a lot [with doors],” Lindberg explained.
The government ruled out a ban on open fridges and freezers two years ago.
In a statement, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said it was “looking at various ways to encourage greater energy efficiency in commercial refrigeration”.
“We urge retailers to increase their use of energy-efficient technology wherever possible,” it added.
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1 Comment. Leave new
Yes, they will save the supermarkets a few quid on their energy bills (there’s always another agenda in there, folks). But remember it was only a few months ago that the high ups in society were in hysterics trying to stop people touching the same surfaces and handles from the fear they would catch a virus…Is this then a good idea? Will adding more frequently touched surfaces to supermarkets be a positive or a negative when it comes to the spreading of viruses?