Tesco, which is committed to reducing the operational carbon footprint of all its stores by 50% by the year 2020, has installed Monodraught’s Windcatcher natural ventilation system in its new 17 000 ft² superstore in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Four Windcatchers deliver natural ventilation to the store's main sales area. “The natural ventilation strategy for Tesco stores operates between 18ºC and 25ºC, allowing the air conditioning to be turned off at certain times when the outside temperature can be used to cool or heat the interior, particularly in spring and autumn,” explains Peter van Os of Tesco's environmental consultancy WSP.
“The Windcatcher systems also help to balance the ambient temperature in order to optimise running costs for the store’s open and glass door chiller cabinets which, after air conditioning, are among the highest consumers of electricity in supermarkets," says Os.