ChillServices

Refrigeration is one of the main drivers in supermarkets energy consumption, almost 50 % of the total. Start-up ChillServices has developed an innovative plug-on technology and service to increase the energy efficiency within supermarkets. ChillServices piloted its technology in 50 supermarkets (1000 cabinets) in cooperation with the most energy efficient supermarket chain in Germany, the REWE group and realized a decreased electricity consumption for each doored refrigerated display cabinet (RDC) of 3%. This is approximately 300 kWh/cabinet, resulting in roughly 4-5 tons CO₂ per retail store per year. ChillServices’ target for 2017 is to implement its technology in 300 supermarkets, installing it in 5,000 RDCs in Germany, eventually covering all 12,500 supermarkets of the REWE group.

REWE benefits – by saving energy costs in the range of 45 EUR per cabinet per year (a Return on Investment of roughly 2 years) – need to compensate their emissions via certificates and increased food safety as the technology also leads to improved temperature profiles in the cabinets. ChillServices combines these measures with a quality control service that also digitalizes the cooling cabinets which enables better strategic investment planning and reporting at REWE.

ChillServices is convinced that 30-40% efficiency improvement is possible in the near future through the provision of add-on complementary functions and services. This will require substantial changes in today’s value chains, business models and extensive cooperation with partners from cooling cabinet manufacturers to energy suppliers. Cooperation with cabinet manufacturers has already started.

The research took place under Chalmers University and the Climate-KIC flagship Building Technologies Accelerator (BTA), which has led to this start-up.