Waitrose is set to roll out new energy-saving devices for its fridges in a bid to reduce its energy consumption.
The upmarket grocer is to roll out the technology, which is designed to prevent cold air being lost into store aisles, across its 349-strong store estate from March.
The shelf-edge strips will be fitted on the front of its fridge shelving to make aisles feel warmer for customers and take away the need to install fridge doors, while ensuring a constant shelf temperature throughout the fridges to maintain product quality.
The EcoBlades from Wirth Research, which are made from recyclable polycarbonate, use the same techniques that channel airflow more efficiently around racing cars to enable them to take corners at high speeds. Wirth Research said the devices would reduce energy consumption by the supermarket’s refrigerators by up to 25%.
The devices would be the first of a number of energy-cutting projects that Wirth Research and Waitrose will work on in the coming years.
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“We know there is always more to do, but applying this design means we’re pushing forward in our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment,” said Waitrose head of corporate responsibility Tor Harris. “To deliver an energy saving of such significance through changing our shelf edging is fantastic, and another example of how we continue to find innovative ways to achieve our goal to make our shops more sustainable.”
President and founder of Wirth Research, Nick Wirth, added: “We are delighted to receive this significant endorsement from Waitrose. It is another major step forward in air management and the reduction of energy consumption in buildings.”
It comes a month after M&S announced it would be introducing similar devices developed by Aerofoil Energy into its open-front refrigeration cabinets in stores.
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