Low Carbon and Renewable Water Heating for the Retail Sector

Design, Supply and Service for Domestic Hot Water Applications Within Retail Sector Buildings

AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

SOLAR THERMAL PRODUCTS

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER

GAS WATER HEATER

A sustainable Retail Sector

The UK retail sector is a cornerstone of the British economy encompassing sales, logistics, supply chain management, and customer service. This activity drives annual sales worth more than £500 billion, and a gross value added (GVA), a measure of economic output estimated at more than £110 billion. Accounting for 4.7% of the UK’s total economic output, these figures underscore the sector’s vital role in consumer spending and economic activity.

The Evolution Of The Retail Sector

The retail sector’s substantial size, impact, and significant recent transformation have contributed significantly to British economic output and employment, but have also crucially informed wider consumer behaviour. Investment in robust online platforms and services such as click-and-collect, buy-online-return-in-store, and data-driven personalised experiences based on customer data has blurred the lines between online and offline shopping. Physical stores are evolving to offer unique and engaging experiences that attract foot traffic and differentiate themselves from competitors. One notable issue, environmental concern, means retailers are increasingly responding by adopting sustainable practices, creating new opportunities, and new challenges for retailers.

The challenge of becoming low carbon

The UK retail sector faces several challenges if it is to successfully transition to a low-carbon model. These include everything from balancing sustainable sourcing and production as part of a complex global supply chain which currently generates a significant portion of a retailer’s carbon footprint, with consumer expectations for affordable products. Educating consumers about the environmental impact of their choices and encouraging sustainable consumption patterns is an absolute necessity, and this needs to be underpinned with real world proof points. So reliable data collection and analysis is essential for identifying hotspots and implementing effective mitigation strategies with technologies that allow for quicker and more widespread adoption. That means identifying opportunities for transitioning to energy-efficient, low-carbon models which can mitigate significant upfront investment and meet the increasingly complex regulatory landscape surrounding climate change and environmental sustainability.

One of the most straightforward and manageable options is directly addressing carbon emissions from retail building stock. In particular, this can be achieved today through addressing the business critical demands for hot water which can dramatically decarbonise operations without impacting the comfort of consumers and employees alike.

Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Applications In Retail

DHW has a variety of applications in the retail sector, particularly in stores with staff areas, restrooms, and food service. Hot water is an essential function of staff facilities such as toilets and break rooms, promoting comfort and relaxation, plus maintaining hygienic wash facilities. Certain retail settings, such as gyms or fitness stores, may offer showers for employees. Customers exhibit similar daily demands, which when met help maintain customer satisfaction and a positive brand image. If a store offers food or beverages, hot water is indispensable for food preparation, and dishwashing. There are also specialist services, like hair salons or beauticians with services requiring hot water.

Wider building maintenance with regular cleaning and sanitising of surfaces, or which use HVAC systems that integrate heating and cooling systems to improve overall building efficiency and comfort will further drive a need for hot water, often with clearly delineated periods of peak demand.

Reliable and efficient DHW systems are crucial for maintaining a comfortable, hygienic, and sustainable retail environment. They support employee well-being, customer satisfaction, and the overall operational efficiency of the business, no matter the scale of the buildings or the complexity of their demands.

Product brochure

Talk to us today about:

Meeting domestic hot water (DHW) demands with commercial gas and electric water heaters, boilers, cylinders, packaged plate heat exchangers and electric immersion kits.
Commercial heating support with ranges of floor-standing and wall-hung gas boilers, carbon steel heating buffers and thermal storage.
Addressing sustainability through the integration of solar thermal, Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) and boxed heat recovery.
Smart control systems for increased efficiency and managed transition via hybrid approaches that extend the life of viable systems while addressing the need to reduce carbon.
Bringing all these varied elements together is Adveco’s packaged plant room offering, a bespoke prefabricated system build that makes full use of vacant space whilst leveraging all the advantages of offsite construction for hybrid and all-electric hot water and heating applications.

Live Metering – The most cost-effective and efficient path to sustainability in the retail sector.

Live Metering requires an Adveco engineer to visit your site and install a water meter to provide hot water temperature monitoring for verified water data and comment on the risk of the existing system.

Adveco will return within the month to collect the meter. During these visits, we can confirm space and clearances, and installation suitability, and once we have analysed the data give a truly accurate sizing and emissions/costs calculation.

Quick, non-evasive temporary installation
Visual site assessment & reporting by Adveco engineer
Consistent 6 minute data 24 hours per day on existing hot water systems
50% of monitoring fee deducted if system recommendation purchased from Adveco
Bespoke theoretical hot water modelling optimised to work with a building’s existing electrical supply
Daily & annual hot water demands
Annual estimated energy consumption
Annual estimated carbon emissions
Annual estimated operational costs

Adveco can then advise on a new hot water system which meets the demands of a building while increasing efficiency, lowering carbon emissions, and managing costs.

Heat Pumps for Retail Sector Buildings

For new retail outlets serviced by electricity only, the deployment of air source heat pumps (ASHP) as a method of pre-heating water represents a clear opportunity to introduce low-carbon technology to meet sustainability goals.

Solar Thermal for Retail Sector Buildings

A proven and extremely reliable technology, solar thermal offers a clear path to reducing CO₂ emissions.

Correctly designed and sized to the application, such as retail services, solar thermal systems can generate a considerable proportion of the hot water requirements for buildings that are already on-gas with relatively short payback periods on the initial capital expenditure, while leveraging lower-cost gas to meet peak demands.

Recognising the implications on operational expense when switching to all-electric water heating, we would also advocate the use of solar thermal in new builds to offset at least 30% of annual hot water energy demands, reducing both operational costs and carbon emissions.

Electric Water Heating for the Retail Sector

Electric boilers and water heaters help to meet the demands being made of retail to cut carbon emissions in line with net zero strategies. Increasingly less reliant on fossil fuels for generation, using the electricity grid is increasingly being specified as a cleaner energy source for water heating. Whether new build or the transformational refurbishment of existing commercial buildings, electrically powered systems provide an efficient, futureproof means for delivering fast, efficient heating for domestic hot water production or central heating needs.

Adveco appliances support a range of projects with wall-mounted and floor-standing systems to cater to the wide needs of office buildings. Packaged hybrid electric systems also offer a more compact, resilient, fast-to-install and easier-to-maintain alternative for those wishing to avoid a reliance on gas energy supplies.

Gas Water Heating for the Retail Sector

Retail sector buildings with large hot water demands and an existing gas connection may continue to take advantage of this lower-cost energy resource to heat water. Whilst strongly urged to adopt a more environmentally friendly approach to heating a building’s water, many retail organisations will still find value in remaining on gas. With minimal disturbance for business continuity if replacement is required, manageable capital investment and low operational costs this familiar technology remains a popular replacement option when older appliances fail.

For buildings already on the gas network and seeking to gain lower carbon status, replacement gas-fired appliances working in conjunction with heat pumps or solar thermal provide a familiar, practical, highly effective means for offsetting gas demands to lower carbon emissions of legacy gas-only water heating systems.

Adveco supports retail sector projects with the latest generation of condensing gas water heaters. Harnessing cutting-edge materials, production and energy management technology, it is now easier than ever to maximise fuel use, cutting energy demands, running costs and carbon emissions. All new gas water heaters are also able to support future gas sources with up to 20% blended hydrogen without any alteration. This makes gas water heaters an excellent bridging technology for existing buildings, future-proofing systems in preparation for potentially larger investment decisions in the future as the nationwide net zero strategy is finalised.