HVAC Energy Consumption
A retailer with over 800 outlets and an average store footprint of over 5,500 sq ft, wanted to address their use of HVAC in-store. They believed staff behaviours and a lack of centralised visibility was causing unnecessary energy costs and reducing the lifespan of the HVAC systems.
Having already successfully been installed on their refrigeration estate, LoweConex was challenged with addressing these problems for the HVAC systems. Due to the technical infrastructure of the LoweConex data sphere, both the HVAC and the refrigeration can be viewed, analysed and remotely controlled using the same LoweConex platform.
Countermeasure 1
Intelligent Automated Switch Off / On
Prior to LoweConex being installed the store’s AC systems where cycling on and off continuously over a 24-hour period.
With LoweConex controlling the automatic shutdown which matches the stores opening and closing times, LoweConex automatically shuts down the HVAC as the store closes and then restarts 1 hour before the store opens again.
This first automated measure has reduced the total running time of the HVAC by 10 hours every 24 hours.
Countermeasure 2
Data Driven Setpoint Change & Lockdown
After analysing the data over a 24hour period the LoweConex system identified the setpoint being used by the store was unattainable during a normal day, resulting in the HVAC unit running continuously in an attempt to achieve it. As a result, not only is
the unit consuming energy continuously, but the lifespan of the unit is being reduced.
Using a combination of the ambient store temperatures, that LoweConex is collecting as part of the refrigeration monitoring solution, overlayed with the data from the HVAC system, two new setpoints where identified as optimal and applied remotely.
With LoweConex controlling the automatic shutdown and the setpoints, the AC system is now running c.68% less within the same 24hr period.
The Outcome
Now that LoweConex is monitoring and controlling the HVAC systems and
automatically applying data driven running conditions. the store is using the system c.68% less every day.
The team at LoweConex then used the store’s metered HVAC energy consumption and costs for the HVAC to work out that across the customer’s whole estate these two changes with LoweConex will save the company c.£1.8million in energy costs
ever year.