The retail sector is a significant part of the UK economy, contributing almost 5% of economic output in 2023.
It also has a big carbon footprint, and retailers have shown that they’re keen to take a lead in tackling the UK’s carbon emissions.
Given that many retailers are tenants, rather than owners of the properties they occupy, finding approaches that work for them and their landlords can be challenging.
But some retrofit projects can deliver results that will benefit everyone – including customers.
Modern systems can offer a seamless, phased approach to minimise store downtime and maximise energy savings
James Harman Business Development Manager
Different types of carbon
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems play a key role in the carbon footprint of all buildings.
First, each piece of equipment has an embodied carbon footprint. A large part of that relates to the type of refrigerant in the system.
Second, the energy consumption of cooling, heating and hot water systems adds to the building’s ongoing operational carbon emissions.
This means that upgrading or retrofitting HVAC can help to shrink the whole life carbon of a building – and with modern equipment, the projects can be achievable, affordable and impactful.
Avoiding disruption
For many retailers and their landlords, the biggest concern about refurbishing HVAC systems is the potential for operational disruption.
However, today’s HVAC retrofit solutions can offer a seamless, phased approach to minimise store downtime and deliver embodied carbon and energy savings.
One example of the modern retrofit approach is the R32 Replace solution from Mitsubishi Electric. This allows retailers to reuse existing pipework in split air conditioning systems while upgrading to more efficient indoor and outdoor units.
It’s a move that not only saves energy through enhanced efficiency but also delivers a system with a lower carbon footprint.
Moving away from refrigerants such as R410A (GWP 2088) to lower-GWP options such as R32 (GWP 675) has been highlighted as a critical step by the British Retail Consortium in its Climate Action Roadmap. This specifies that “only low impact refrigerant gases (should be used) for all new refrigeration installations.”
The Replace approach significantly reduces installation time and costs, making it an attractive option for retailers of all sizes (and their landlords) aiming to reduce down-time in their stores.
Unique challenges
In addition, retail spaces face unique challenges when it comes to energy efficiency and climate control.
In conjunction with the British Retail Consortium we produced a free guide to reducing carbon in the retail industry.
Many stores experience fluctuating occupancy levels, large open spaces, and frequent door openings. These factors lead to significant energy waste, particularly if HVAC systems are outdated or inefficient.
A simple retrofit that lowers carbon and boosts energy efficiency is updating old door curtains. These help to reduce heat loss through open doors, so their efficient operation is critical for energy saving and customer comfort. Mitsubishi Electric’s range of door curtains is available with R32, and with its inverter drive it provides a high efficiency solution. There’s also an option to connect to a Power Inverter heat pump for even more efficiency.
In larger retail stores VRF systems support varying heating and cooling needs across bigger internal spaces. Now is a good time to consider updating an older VRF air conditioning system to one that uses more sustainable, low-GWP refrigerant such as R32.
This will help retail property owners future-proof their building against upcoming changes to F Gas Regulations. These will make it harder to maintain systems with higher GWP refrigerants as they are phased out of the European market and become difficult, and expensive, to obtain.
Water as refrigerant
Mitsubishi Electric’s R32 Hybrid VRF (HVRF) is a decentralised VRF system that places refrigerant in an outdoor unit, delivering heating and cooling via water pipes and indoor cassettes.
One of the main benefits of HVRF is that it not only uses lower-GWP refrigerant but also requires less of it, shrinking the system’s carbon footprint even further.
In addition, HVRF’s decentralised design allows for phased installations, such as a floor-by-floor approach. This can help budgeting and avoid disrupting an entire store.
And if layouts are changed in future, alterations to pipe runs are straightforward because the indoor pipes carry only water making them quicker and easier to alter.
Take back control
Updating split or VRF systems also means it’s possible to use modern controls. These can further enhance energy efficiency. They can also monitor and adjust heating and cooling in real time, ensuring that energy is not wasted when stores are unoccupied or when demand is low.
With modern HVAC equipment, there are far more reasons to retrofit and upgrade than there are to delay the process.
Retrofits deliver benefits for retail landlords and retailers alike – a future-proofed building with enhanced property value; lower operational costs; and reduced maintenance with less likelihood of breakdowns.
James Harman is Business Development Manager
