The UK government’s Build Back Greener strategy has set ambitious goals for decarbonising the economy by 2050. In response, businesses and consumers are supporting calls for significant carbon reductions in all sectors – including retail.
Issues such as a growing body of government legislation on energy use in buildings, greater consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their shopping habits, and rising energy prices have made now a critical time for the retail sector to embrace energy efficiency measures and implement low-carbon technologies.
As a large contributor to the UK economy, retail businesses must operate in a sustainable and energy-efficient manner.
By becoming more energy efficient, the UK’s retail industry can also benefit in several ways, including reducing its carbon emissions, lowering its energy costs, and improving its overall reputation and environmental impact.
Taking action to reduce carbon emissions
The UK government has set an ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, which requires every business to find ways of reducing the emissions generated by its operation. In order to reach this goal, retailers must meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and achieve an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of B by 2030.
Retail accounts for 17% of the energy used by all UK buildings, which is the same as the office and industrial sectors, making it a major contributor to carbon emissions. Like the office sector, retail also understands the benefits of using advanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) to ensure that it can deliver the comfort levels that customers expect. These HVAC systems are designed to run reliably all year round, but it is worth remembering that they work most efficiently if they are regularly serviced, maintained and properly controlled.
In addition to maximising performance and minimising energy use, a regular service can also identify ways of reducing energy further, as well as helping to maximise the lifetime of that equipment. Modern HVAC can also now work alongside renewable systems such as heat pumps to increase efficiencies even further. By reducing energy use and adopting renewable technologies, UK retailers can play a crucial role in helping to tackle the global issue of climate change.
Introducing heat pumps to the equation
Developments in heating and cooling technologies over the past decade mean that there is a range of options and techniques to meet these targets – techniques that can be applied in buildings from the largest retail warehouse to a smaller local store.
One such technology is heat pumps, which can now deliver water at temperatures of 90°C. They work by extracting low-level heat energy from the air or ground and use a small amount of electricity to raise the water to the temperature required.
This process is very energy efficient, which can not only help retailers remove gas from their buildings to meet these standards but can keep carbon emissions and energy costs down.
The financial case for energy efficiency
In addition to the environmental benefits, retailers also have financial benefits from adopting more sustainable practices, such as reduced energy consumption from becoming more energy efficient.
On the consumer front, as sustainability topics are more widely discussed, people want to put their money towards companies they know are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
As electricity and gas prices rise, heat pumps now have the potential to provide an even quicker financial payback and serve as a long-term cost-saving measure.
Retail is one of the UK’s most important business sectors and one of its biggest employers. By increasing energy efficiency through using low carbon technologies to heat and cool spaces, the sector can enormously impact the UK’s carbon emissions. Energy efficiency should be a top priority for retail businesses of all sizes.
By implementing a clear strategy, businesses can reduce their carbon emissions and contribute to the UK retail industry’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.
James Harman, Business Development Manager at Mitsubishi Electric
