OMEGA Solutions – Energy & Emissions Insights: Cooling and Heating

Following our well-received 2023 Net Zero infographic insights, we are kicking off this year with a series of fortnightly insights that explores the requirements to accurately project the energy consumption and emissions of cooling and heating systems in food retail. Reducing energy consumption and emissions of cooling and heating systems will be key to meeting the demands of a low carbon economy and achieving Net Zero. Collectively, cooling and heating account for >80% of food retail stores’ energy use and emissions, and before capital cost decisions are taken, food retailers must be well-informed of the implications that capital cost decisions have on assets that will often have a life expectancy of > 15 years.

Throughout 2023, the team at OMEGA Solutions have supported three food retailers in assessing the energy and emissions impacts of cooling and heating systems. From our assessments, we know that there is not a single silver-bullet solution that will suit all retailers. However, the methodology for calculating energy consumption and emissions is consistent. As industry leaders, our upcoming series will explore this best-in-class assessment methodology and will cover topics including:

• How to calculate cooling and heating energy consumption based on varying ambient conditions and associated part loads.

• The importance of considering both Scope 1 Direct and Scope 2 Indirect cooling and heating system energy emissions using the Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) methodology.

• How to project longer-term changes in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution cost and emissions factors to cover the life expectancy of these systems.

• Accounting for ancillaries such as fan motors, pumps, defrosting, heating elements, emitters, valves, and controllers.

Sharing our knowledge with industry peers is vital to the team at OMEGA, and we are sure this series will prove highly insightful!

As a result of our work, OMEGA’s Technical Director Nabil Cook has brought together our assessment methodologies and, working alongside a global OEM, has developed an energy, emissions and life-cycle cost calculator that will become an indispensable programme and tool during 2024, helping food retailers to take decisions that will reduce their energy, emissions, and life-cycle costs!

If you would like to learn more about our forthcoming series that will be published on our LinkedIn page, please do not hesitate to contact the team at OMEGA Solutions. Whether you are a manufacturer, contractor, professional services provider, or end user, we can help you navigate toward a carbon Net Zero position.