Page 34 - Climate Control News Magazine March 2021

Energy Cost Reduction and Monitoring
A sustainable approach to cost reduction
EMERSON’S ANZ VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL SOLUTIONS, TIM FLINN, OUTLINES STRATEGIES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR GREATER ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
LEFT: Refrigeration systems typically account for the majority of energy use in a business.
BELOW: Emerson vice president and managing director for commercial and residential solutions, Tim Flinn.
ticularly because the transition in refrigeration is further down the path. The introduction of low- GWP refrigerants has given us the opportunity to help a wide range of customers transition to higher efficiency technology.
We’ve also seen big food retailers keen to take advantage of the efficiency benefits of natural re- frigerant technologies as part of their move to- wards becoming carbon-neutral. Many have the capability to take a long-term view and map new technologies, like transcritical CO2 refrigera- tion, into new store development plans. Even smaller independent retailers are following the big stores as the technology matures.
Woolworths recognises the important role in- novations like transcritical CO2 play in unlock- ing the potential to reduce emissions – like inte- grating the refrigeration system with air conditioning and heating systems to improve ef- ficiencies. As an extension of our work together, the supermarket is already investigating how a store’s refrigeration waste heat can be best used to heat the store and is discovering some solid energy saving potential.
Whether it’s helping to advance human health and life sciences, food and beverage, comfort and safety or supporting power and energy compa- nies to reduce food waste in landfills, our ap- proach comes from a dedicated Environmental Sustainability Framework.
This is an important framework that engages external stakeholders across research and innova- tion, industry leadership and policy developments. Only through working in partnership to develop answers that are ready for the real-world, as well as participating in customer initiatives and sharing expertise in a way that can help shape future poli- cy developments, can we make an impact.
[ 1] Source: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (2020) Australian Energy Statistics, Table E
AUSTRALIA’S ANNUAL AVERAGE energy consumption of 9,044 kWh per capita may be dwarfed by Iceland’s 50,613 kWh, but our energy usage continues to rise (by an annual average of 0.7% over the past 10 years).
Our commercial sector accounts for just over five per cent of energy consumption[1] with a fo- cus on lighting, heating and cooling, while for food and grocery, large scale retail refrigeration systems typically account for the majority of en- ergy use – representing the biggest potential for reductions if approached in the right way.
What it means to optimise cost and efficiency is not always straightforward. For widespread commitments to environmental sustainability to have a real impact on industries and commu- nities, we need to see the advancement of strate- gies and technologies to lower emissions and im- prove resource efficiency across the board.
Delivering environmentally responsible solu- tions that can improve efficiency, reduce emis- sions and conserve resources is possible, and in fact, manufacturing studies have found that top performing facilities spend one-third as much as the industry average on energy costs and have 30 per cent less CO2 emissions.
As regulations evolve, engagement with key stakeholders including industry associations, partners, government, OEMs and chemical com- panies to determine the best low-GWP (Global
Warming Potential) refrigerant options for HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) applications is becoming an increasingly important step in developing the solutions for organisations to transition to low- er-GWP refrigerants.
Taking part in discussions around sustainable refrigeration and developing solutions that are optimised for new global efficiency standards and refrigerant regulations, we regularly assist customers to meet shifting environmental laws that impact the industry’s approach and tech- nologies, while reducing the use of refrigerants that can impact global warming.
A considerable portion of our business is fo- cused on the air conditioning aspect of HVACR, and we’re encouraged by the way environmental impact is beginning to take centre stage – par-
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