The future of refrigeration in supermarkets

by Jennifer Meyer

The food retail industry is facing a major challenge: how can food be refrigerated efficiently and sustainably at the same time? In view of rising energy prices and growing environmental awareness, innovative solutions are more in demand than ever. Waterloop refrigeration systems are one solution. But what exactly is behind this term and why are these systems considered so promising?

It is currently regarded as one of the most sustainable supermarkets in Germany: the EDEKA Future Market Dorfmann. With a sales area of around 2,500 square metres, the store aims to impress its customers with forward-looking concepts since it opened at the end of August 2024. In addition to ‘the best food’, the store also focuses on ecological construction and targeted CO₂ reduction.

EDEKA Minden-Hannover realised the ‘lighthouse project’ with retail specialists Schweitzer, who were responsible for the store design and shopfitting. Schweitzer also implemented a modern waterloop system including plug-in refrigerated cabinets and counters from its own production. These flexible systems make it easy to adapt to changing requirements at any time. “Another advantage is the energy efficiency of the Waterloop system, which enables 12% savings compared to a classic CO₂ system and drastically minimises maintenance and service calls,” explains Bernhard Schweitzer – owner and CEO of Schweitzer & Interstore. But what exactly is a waterloop system?

Waterloop systems are an energy-efficient alternative to conventional CO₂ refrigeration systems. Essentially, it is a closed water circulation system that is used in supermarkets and other retail outlets to cool food. In contrast to traditional refrigeration systems, where the coolant flows directly through the refrigerated shelves and counters, in this case water acts as a carrier medium. This water circulates through a network of pipes and absorbs the heat from the refrigerated display cases. The absorbed heat is transferred to a central cooling circuit via heat exchangers, which efficiently dissipates the energy to the outside. This allows the cooling capacity to be controlled centrally and in line with demand.

• Energy efficiency and cost savings: Waterloop systems offer remarkable energy efficiency compared to traditional cooling systems. Thanks to centralised cooling and efficient heat dissipation via the water loop, energy consumption can be significantly reduced. This not only leads to lower operating costs, but also contributes to a lower environmental impact.

• Flexibility and easy installation: An outstanding advantage of Waterloop systems is their flexibility. As the cooling units are connected to each other via the water circuit, they can be easily installed, extended or moved to other locations in the store. This is particularly useful for supermarkets and food retailers who frequently need to change their shop layouts or integrate new refrigeration units.

• Sustainability: Centralised cooling and the reduced use of refrigerants make Waterloop systems a sustainable choice. They make a significant contribution to reducing CO₂. In addition, the use of water as a heat transfer medium is an environmentally friendly alternative to the often harmful synthetic refrigerants used in conventional systems.

• Reduced maintenance: Waterloop systems require less maintenance as they use a smaller amount of refrigerant and allow centralised maintenance. This not only saves time and money, but also reduces the risk of leaks and other technical problems.

Another example of the use of this technology can be found in Christina Ernst's EDEKA supermarket in Reisbach, Bavaria. A decisive moment for the implementation of the Waterloop system was a power failure in the summer a few years ago, which almost destroyed all the fresh produce in a supermarket. “For this reason, I decided in favour of the Schweitzer Waterloop system for our new store in Reisbach to ensure greater security, even in the event of future blackouts. After a power failure, the Waterloop system can be restarted immediately; in the case of CO2, gas must first be topped up,” explains Christina Ernst, owner and Managing Director of Ernst Lebensmittel GmbH, on the Schweitzer website.

In addition to Schweitzer, other companies, such as the Polish manufacturer JBG-2, also offer waterloop cooling systems. At the ATMOsphere (ATMO) Europe Summit 2023 trade fair, JBG-2 presented a best-practice case in which a German supermarket was able to reduce its energy consumption by 8.8 % thanks to a Waterloop system. However, JBG-2 also addressed the high acquisition costs, which represent a challenge for some retailers. In the long term, however, these should be amortised by the significantly lower energy costs.

The integration of Waterloop systems shows how innovative technology can not only help to increase energy efficiency, but also to safeguard stock in critical situations. A promising solution for the future of supermarket refrigeration.