Sainsbury’s has installed aerofoils based on Formula 1 technology on fridges at all of its UK stores, completing a rollout that began with a trial five years ago.
The aerofoils are designed to stop cold air escaping from fridges. When air is blown out of the cabinet, the aerofoils direct it back in, saving wasted energy.
Long known in Formula 1, the aerofoils have been adapted for uses including food chilling by its originators, racing legends Williams Advanced Engineering and technology partners Aerofoil Energy. The pair have now sold one million of the devices.
Fitting aerofoils to Sainsbury’s fridges has cut their power use by 15 per cent, at a CO2e saving of 8,700 tonnes each year, according to Dave Merefield, the retailer’s utilities manager.
Sainsbury’s current annual emissions of one million tonnes represent a 35 per cent reduction over 15 years, it claims, despite its stores’ retail space increasing by almost a half.
In January the retailer pledged £1 billion towards meeting its own net zero goal by 2040. Advised by the Carbon Trust and reporting progress every six months, managers are prioritising measures such as LEDs in all stores by 2022, more power from renewables and converting 25 per cent of Sainsbury’s fleet to zero or low carbon fuels by 2025.
The retailer said it would also pressure suppliers to decarbonise.
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