Harnessing the data from refrigeration systems to drive energy cost savings discussed at Cold Chain Federation webinar
Star Refrigeration’s Dr Andy Pearson will share his views on how an accelerated rollout of readily available AI and data-driven technologies could represent a huge opportunity for cold chain operators to reduce energy consumption amidst spiralling energy prices.
Cold Chain organisation representing temperature-controlled businesses across the UK will host a webinar spotlighting the importance of implementing energy efficiency control measures to reduce refrigeration systems’ energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The Cold Chain Federation invited Dr Andy Pearson, Group MD at Star Refrigeration, to present findings from industry research he has carried out over the past years on improving the energy efficiency of temperature-controlled storage facilities. Dr Pearson will raise awareness of the importance of harnessing data from refrigeration systems to drive energy costs savings and carbon reductions. The topic is now more critical than ever if the industry is to meet the recently revised Climate Change Agreement energy efficiency targets of 6.67% by the end of 2022 against the 2018 baseline.
Dr Pearson said, “With the existing challenges of raising energy prices only set to intensify, the demands placed upon the sector’s operating profits are substantial. Despite this, recent research has shown that there is a massive variation in the energy use of cold storage buildings, with some buildings requiring up to ten times more electricity than others of similar size and throughput.
Several useful tools and techniques have been developed in recent years to identify where there is scope for improvement and then continue to monitor performance to ensure that the benefit is long-lasting, not temporary. Star Refrigeration has a long-standing relationship with the Cold Chain Federation, having worked with many of its members for the last decade, and it is always an honour to be able to share Star’s innovations and expertise at their events.”
Dr Pearson has been tracking energy performance developments since the 1990s and has been at the centre of several of Star’s recent innovations in this area. He will review that recent work, showing how some very simple measures can be used to identify, achieve and maintain energy improvements in the long term.
Star Refrigeration has recently launched a Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) benchmarking app, which temperature-controlled storage facilities can use to measure site energy output against industry best practice guidelines and competitor performance. SEC can also be used to forecast future energy usage as well as a predictor of the effectiveness of planned improvements to cold stores and it will be welcomed by the sector, as increased costs put the squeeze on operators and pressure to lower harmful emissions builds.
The company is set to expand its current work on the monitoring of cooling equipment by combining digitalisation and people intelligence to unlock the power of data to accurately identify inefficiencies in cooling equipment and forecast the business performance of temperature-controlled storage facilities.
A Chartered Engineer, Dr Pearson has contributed to many industry organisations in the UK, Europe and North America, including terms served as President of the Institute of Refrigeration, a member of ASHRAE’s Refrigeration Committee and as a director of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration. He is currently chair of the British Standards Institute’s committee on refrigeration safety and environmental issues and represents UK interests in CEN and ISO committees and working groups.
The Cold Chain Federation’s Connect webinar is part of a series of online conferences designed to keep cold chain professionals up to date with developments that affect the industry. Dr Pearson’s webinar will be held on 25th April 2022 from 12:30 pm -1:15 pm. To attend the free event, register at https://www.coldchainfederation.org.uk/event/harnessing-the-data-from-your-refrigeration-systems-to-drive-energy-cost-savings/. A recording of the session will also be available online after the event via the Cold Chain Federation’s website.
To find out more about the Cold Chain Federation and the Climate Change Agreement, go to https://www.coldchainfederation.org.uk/.
To find out more about Star’s Refrigeration advancements in energy efficiency and data monitoring of refrigeration systems for the cold chain sector, visit https://www.star-ref.co.uk/service-categories/data-monitoring/.