More energy efficiency, flexibility and purchasing incentive
AICHINGER ECOplus: up to 70% less energy consumption for service counters and self-service refrigeration units
In food retailing, the fresh food area is decisive for attractiveness, sales and earnings. At the same time, according to the EHI Refrigeration Technology Study of 2021, refrigeration technology for the fresh food area accounts for an average of 48%, and at its peak well over 60%, of electricity costs. Therefore, energy efficiency is the most important criterion for almost three quarters of the respondents. AICHINGER, one of the innovation leaders of service counters, food counters and self-service refrigeration units in the food retail sector, is launching the ECOplus series in August 2023. Products of the ECOplus series promise up to 70% less energy consumption compared to AICHINGER products, which have always been known for maximum energy efficiency.
“Previous tests conducted by leading companies in the food retail industry confirm that AICHINGER products are particularly sustainable due to their low energy consumption and long service life. With the ECOplus series, we are setting a new standard in energy efficiency for refrigerated counters and self-service refrigerated display cases,” says Dr. Oliver Blank, Managing Director of AICHINGER GmbH.
Some product variants were developed in cooperation with the leading companies in food retailing, intensively tested under real conditions in AICHINGER‘s own certified test laboratory AiMA (Aichinger Measurement Area) and tested in practice in pilot projects. In addition to energy efficiency and temperature stability, the focus of the development process is on product presentation that maximizes the impulse to buy, product preservation, pleasant handling and ergonomics for sales personnel, and high operating and system safety.
The EHI study Energie-Monitor has shown that, contrary to earlier assumptions, the turnover per running meter for closed refrigerated display cases remains stable compared to the open presentation. In addition to the factory ECOplus version, AICHINGER offers retrofit kits for existing refrigerated counters and cabinets for the most popular models. The investment for the retrofit can pay for itself after less than two years of operation due to the high energy savings.
The new ECOplus series will start in August with the TopSpot ECOplus self-service refrigeration unit. With unchanged high presentation quality, energy consumption is reduced by up to 70% compared to the open variant. The TopSpot ECOplus modules are thus classified in energy efficiency classes B and C. AICHINGER announces further ECOplus variants for the coming months, also for the SIRIUS® 3 service counter.
According to the EHI study on refrigeration, refrigerated goods are offered on an average of 21% of the sales area in food retailing. For the future, almost all food companies surveyed expect further expansion of refrigerated product ranges in all segments and product groups. The refrigeration technology installed in a grocery store accounts for an average of 40% of the total equipment costs and causes an average of 48% of the electricity consumption.
In addition to cost savings, legal requirements and reputation vis-à-vis consumers are a strong motive for investing in energy-efficient refrigeration concepts for the fresh food sector. The GfK Sustainability Index has again reached the level of 2022, and consumers are again incorporating sustainability aspects into their purchasing behavior to a greater extent than before. For almost three quarters of the grocers surveyed in the EHI Refrigeration Study, energy efficiency is correspondingly of outstanding importance for the planning of refrigeration concepts and refrigerated display case selection.