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Last year’s heatwaves in the northern hemisphere broke all previous records. Worldwide, July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded and the hottest for 120,000 years. If you went shopping during spring 2023’s record-breaking heatwaves you might have felt pretty uncomfortable in some shops and shopping centres as regular aircon systems struggled to cope.
Food settings are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, which is why so many food businesses are focusing on heat mitigation for 2024. So what can players in the food industry do to slash the heat, cool things down, keep food safe to eat and make things comfortable for customers and employees?
Let’s take a look at what one particular flagship branch of Subway did to chill things out.
Subway is dedicated to providing a wide range of great tasting, healthy food choices while minimising the brand’s environmental footprint and acting as a positive influence on their customers, employees, and wider community. And that means maintaining a comfortable temperature for people and a safe temperature for food.
The Subway franchise at the Beehive Shopping Centre in Cambridge was designated by Subway management as a test site to create the most eco-friendly retail premises it was possible to achieve. Their brief was to create a carbon neutral outlet by bringing in the latest technologies, and as it turned out evaporative cooling tech met the need for both heating and cooling perfectly.
Subway franchises bakes their own bread on the premises three or four times each day, which is why their food is so incredibly fresh. Bread ovens are naturally very hot, the source of constant heat indoors. In hot weather it can quickly become uncomfortable indoors, and in record-breaking temperatures it can be unbearable.
Having carefully analysed the existing environment to establish the amount of heat generated, the airflow and the comfort of staff and customers, an innovative yet simple system for air handling was recommended.
First the franchisee installed monitors to check how much power was being used, both at the eco-site and a similar site so effective comparisons could be made.
The EcoCooling system captures surplus heat generated by the ovens and also the walk-in fridges. This is used to heat the entire store very efficiently, redirecting hot air into the shop in winter so it feels lovely when you walk through the door and nice to work in. In hot weather evaporative cooling cools the premises, sending the hot air from the bread ovens outside the building via an extractor.
The indoor temperature is maintained using thermostats and a clever bespoke
Computer Room Evaporative Cooling control system, which creates a fresh environment by continually circulating air while preventing condensation and getting rid of the uncomfortable hot spots previously caused by the ovens.
These days Subway’s landmark Beehive site is using 75% less energy than the equivalent site it’s being compared to, a flagship example of green technology at its best for the entire Subway chain.
A 75% drop in energy use is not to be sneezed at, saving businesses an absolute fortune. The result is cleaner, greener, fresher and more hygienic, putting food safety and human comfort first while spending less on a vital fixed cost that’s not going to go away. In a world where some experts reckon energy prices are unlikely to drop in the foreseeable future, it’s a game changer.
If you’d like to explore the potential for your business, whether it’s a bakery of retail outlet, data centre or fitness centre, office or factory, we’ll be pleased to provide expert help, guidance, and information on staying cool when it’s hot - and warm when it’s cold.