Telford, Shropshire, UK: Thermal curtains that replace traditional plastic strip curtains on cold stores can reduce energy consumption by 25% in chilled conditions and 33% in freezers, according to Seymour Manufacturing. A series of tests using hand-held thermal capture imaging technology showed the internal face of Seymour’s Cold Stop curtains made from Tempro was -22C, yet the surface outside temperature of the same curtains was only one degree below ambient, at 10C.
Tempro is one of thinnest and most thermally efficient materials of its kind, the company says.
Brian Seymour, chairman of SMI, says the new thermal testing system introduced in 2011 was typical of the ongoing programme undertaken by SMI to improve the Tempro product range and the results would be used to refine existing products.
“For our customers, which include major supermarkets in Europe and the UK including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco and Morrisons, 2010 was another year of positive results and energy savings using Cold Stop¨ cold room curtains and other products made from Tempro,” he says.
The traditional way to prevent high temperature ambient air entering a cold room or freezer when the heavy main door is open was to fit plastic strip curtains. Cold Stop is the next generation of energy and CO2 saving thermal barriers, not only helping cut down carbon footprint but also saving customers millions of pounds in energy costs, he says.
“Our sophisticated thermal imaging camera and Grant monitoring equipment has allowed SMI to prove conclusively the benefits of Tempro, particularly the Cold Stop curtains.”
The UK’s supermarkets have highlighted reducing CO2 emissions as a main target for the next decade with the John Lewis Partnership, which owns 29 John Lewis shops and 226 Waitrose supermarkets in the UK, committing to reducing its absolute carbon emissions by 15% by 2020.
The thermal imaging equipment has assisted design of several new products that are expected to be available before summer this year.
