Energy management in large-scale distribution

Thanks to the most modern systems of energy management in large-scale distribution, which allow you to monitor and make corrections in real time, the GDO can reduce the high energy costs with which it is forced to deal.

According to a survey conducted by the Italian Federation for the rational use of energy, the energy costs of large-scale organized distribution represent a percentage between 1.5% and 3% of turnover, or the most significant item immediately after that of the staff. Even if it is a cost due, there are wide margins of reduction. They can be reached especially thanks to the use of practices that can increase energy efficiency and drastically decrease waste. Especially on this issue, probably due to the lack of specific incentives for the sector, a widespread unawareness persists, combined with typical difficulties of large-scale distribution which slow down the implementation of the practices indicated above: segmentation of consumption based on the type of technology used, sparse territorial location and consequent dimensional asymmetry of supermarkets belonging to the same group. In a word, centralized energy management in the GDO would seem difficult to achieve.

Identify waste and inefficiencies with Monitoring & Control

In the large-scale distribution, the proposed approach involves starting to identify waste and inefficiencies in a single store. If the intervention obtains the expected results, it can then be replicated on a large scale throughout the chain. The first phase, therefore, involves an in-depth audit that examines the cooling / heating systems, lighting systems, hardware equipment including servers and networking. The process usually involves the following steps:

  • billing data collection;
  • identification of energy drivers, or of those factors, such as working hours and average temperature, which influence company energy consumption;
  • control and forecasting modeling in order to have KPI (Key Performance Indicator) parameters against which to calculate the deviations;
  • data analysis;
  • definition of technical-operational interventions feasible within a pre-established time and return on investment (or ROI);
  • implementation of a Reliability-Centered Energy Management (RCEM) capable of 360 degree control of the energy consumption of all the sites.

Speed in acquiring data and correcting anomalies

Unlike traditional monitoring systems, which only analyze bills and find any deviations between the estimated and final costs, a modern Monitoring & Control process uses technologies that can be used to connect network analyzers for each site and for each general electricity meter. Thus, observation takes place on a daily basis by taking CuSum control cards as a model, which are able to trace even small deviations from the consumption defined as standard. If in the past the slowness of acquiring information was reflected in a symmetrical cumbersomeness in preparing the necessary corrections, with modern systems all this has been overcome. The current IT infrastructures employ detection tools equipped with sensors that process data with advanced Analytics platforms. This way you can:

  • minimize energy losses and waste by identifying the causes of inefficiency in real time;
  • promptly intervene on the site that records an anomaly;
  • intercept maintenance problems even before they arise, so as to contain the relative costs;
  • change the purchasing policies of energy carriers.

In the latter case, having an always updated picture of actual consumption, you can decide to change the classic supplies of electricity and methane if you believe that one carrier can perform the same task as the other, for example to heat a room, but to a lower price.

It is one of the many ways through which energy management in large-scale distribution can take place with criteria of economy and efficiency that can save up to 20%.

If you want to discover more about this topic and know our Energy Management systems, contact us.

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