Benchmarking Analysis of Energy Consumption in Supermarkets

The energy performance of buildings needs to be monitored and maintained. A well-developed energy management system in the building can help to identify failures in a timely manner and reduce excessive energy consumption. This study attempts to introduce awareness on potential energy savings in supermarkets. A supermarket in Latvia is analysed as a case study. The largest consumption of energy in supermarket was determined to derive from operation of refrigeration systems, HVAC systems and lighting. The methodology used in this study is based on benchmarking analysis. Using benchmarking analysis, the specific energy amount in function of the amount of customer in supermarket is studied in this work. The specific energy consumption shows wide dispersion: from 1.06 kWh per customer up to 1.73 kWh per customer. This leads to a variance of 48% of consumed electricity for one customer. The variance can be explained by various technological and climate factors, but even more importantly - behavioural factors.