Star Refrigeration and Tesco shortlisted for prestigious IOR Beyond Refrigeration Award
Innovative AI-driven data monitoring service for industrial cooling and heating equipment, Ethos, leads to a 4GWh energy saving and 835 tonnes CO2 emissions reduction for Tesco
Star Refrigeration have been shortlisted for the Institute of Refrigeration’s inaugural Beyond Refrigeration Award which will be presented during the annual IOR dinner in London on 22nd February 2024. The award acknowledges outstanding achievements in the field of refrigeration and heating that go beyond traditional practices and significantly contribute to environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
The nomination recognises Star’s collaboration with the national supermarket chain Tesco, which resulted in substantial energy savings and boosted efficiency across eight of the retailer’s nationwide distribution centres. The project entitled ‘Reaching Net Zero with Cool Data’ seamlessly integrated Star’s Data Analytics monitoring and optimisation service, Ethos, with their maintenance teams, StarCare. This complementary approach helped Tesco to achieve a 10% energy reduction and a 835 tonne CO2 saving over a 21 month period, with an impressive return on their investment of just under three months.
Anne Flanagan, Business Development Manager at Star Data Analytics said, “We are delighted to have been shortlisted in partnership with Tesco for the Beyond Refrigeration Award, especially as it reflects our commitment to adopting holistic perspectives to addressing our customers’ net zero challenges.”
“Retrofitting Ethos onto Tesco’s existing cooling equipment transformed our approach and enabled data driven optimisation and maintenance with minimal cost. With our team’s expertise and Ethos AI technology we were able to identify system inefficiencies by comparing actual performance to a cloud-based ‘digital twin’. This resulted in enhanced system efficiency through precise, targeted maintenance.
“The remarkable progress made at each of Tesco’s depots clearly shows that data-based decision making can significantly reduce the climate impact of cooling activities whilst meeting the increasing demand for cooling services.”
The partnership has set an industry benchmark for the use of data and technology in refrigeration operations and has paved the way for a holistic approach to maintenance and system management that goes beyond traditional methodologies. Star Refrigeration’s Ethos service harnessed real-time data and employed sophisticated analytics to provide Tesco’s maintenance team with actionable insights that were seamlessly executed to lower the retailer’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Anne Flanagan, said, “This project demonstrates how targeted interventions, informed by live operational data can elevate the standard of maintenance service to an entirely new level”.
Star has been working in tandem with Tesco to achieve continuous energy savings for 30+ years, via a raft of various measures. These have included the design and installation of future proof refrigeration systems and a nationwide StarCare maintenance contract, serviced by Star’s team of highly trained cooling engineers, which uses a blend of smart asset management and comprehensive preventative measures to optimise the operational longevity and efficiency of Tesco’s refrigeration plants.
Star created its Ethos software in response to the increasing engineering complexity of refrigeration equipment, which frequently makes it difficult to spot opportunities for energy optimisation. As the software draws on real time operational data, it is able to navigate the obstacles thrown up by complex equipment, enabling more informed decision making and a greater reduction in energy performance gaps.
This will be the first year the IOR will award their Beyond Refrigeration accolade, which has been introduced to tackle the challenges of reaching Net Zero by facilitating innovation sharing, raising awareness of best industry practice and promoting technology’s advancement for society’s good.
The 123rd IOR Annual Dinner will take place on the 22nd of February at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Pauls, 10 Godliman Street, London. In addition to this year IOR Beyond Refrigeration Environmental Award, other prestigious accolades will be presented including the J&E Hall Gold Medal for outstanding technical achievements, the Ted Perry Award for student research and innovation, the Kenneth Lightfoot Medal for the best paper, and the Service Engineer Lifetime Achievement Award. These awards are a keynote of the evening, recognising exceptional dedication, achievement, and innovation within the industry.
To find out more about the IOR’s Beyond Refrigeration accolade and view the shortlisted companies, visit Finalists shortlisted for IOR’s first Beyond Refrigeration Award
To find out more about Star Refrigeration’s AI driven data monitoring technology, visit Energy Consumption Monitoring & Optimisation | Star Refrigeration (star-ref.co.uk)