On January 20th a new generation environmentally-friendly superstore opened its doors in Sens, France. Part of the Intermarché chain of food and household goods retail outlets, the Sens store is aiming to reduce energy consumption and overheads while improving customer comfort thanks to an energy management solution by Johnson Controls, baptised Econeo. “From the beginning we took the decision to use environmentally friendly technologies in building the hypermarket” says Didier Poirot, owner and managing director. “Our main objective was reduced energy consumption. The Johnson Controls solution maximizes our energy efficiency, and we expect to reduce overall energy consumption by 30%.”
The hypermarket uses cooling systems based on recycled CO2 for a much reduced greenhouse gas impact compared with traditional cooling systems. Heat generated by the refrigeration systems is recovered and recycled to heat the store, in particular the “comfort corridors” separating the chilled/frozen food areas with higher-temperature zones for a more comfortable customer experience.
Sustainable development is part of the DNA at Johnson Controls. A range of technologies and services allowing enterprises to reduce their environmental impact covers redesign of heating and lighting installations, biomass heating solutions, integrated facilities management systems and specialized metering. Johnson Controls is now calling on European companies and the public sector to sign energy performance contracts, with the objective of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings. According to Tom Lowery, the company’s vice president for Europe and Africa, immediate action is required to cut the production of harmful greenhouse gases. “If we care about our planet, we need to act now.”
