Lidl and Epta create their most sustainable store ever

Epta – an independent global player and specialised leader in commercial refrigeration – made a significant contribution to the creation of the most sustainable Lidl Italia store ever, designing an innovative refrigeration system.

The latter stands out in the Italian retail landscape as it comprises a transcritical Co2 refrigeration pack, refrigerated cabinets with integrated propane units and a thermal energy recovery system that powers water-to-water heat pumps for heating and cooling the store. 

The retailer chose Epta to optimise the performance of its refrigeration system in its first supermarket format of the future, opened on 30 May last year in Villafranca, in the province of Verona.

The new Lidl, which covers an area of 1.400 sq m, replaces the historic Villafranca store, opened in 1992, and marks the beginning of a new chapter and a turning point in the company’s sustainability policies.

The new store has numerous distinguishing features: completely energy self-sufficient thanks to the installation of a photovoltaic system producing 575.000 kWh/year, and built using recycled materials, it minimises energy losses and atmospheric emissions, delivering all-round environmental sustainability.

The entire system is based on thermal energy recovery, which in spring and autumn – with outdoor temperatures between 15 and 22°C – releases the excess heat produced by the cabinets into the surroundings, resulting in a significant reduction in energy consumption. Thanks to Ete technology, the store can operate in the most challenging extreme-heat conditions characteristic of summers today and in the future. Finally, in winter, below 15°C, a Heat Recovery system makes use of the surplus thermal energy generated by the cabinets to heat the store.

The system, already tested by Epta in various installations, guarantees efficiency in all four seasons. At the Lidl store in Villafranca, the innovation reaches an unprecedented level: for the first time, the system operates with subcritical Co2, without the need to switch to transcritical operation during Heat Recovery mode, which is active in winter.

In addition, Lidl Italia achieves greater energy savings thanks to the 1.280 bifacial photovoltaic modules installed on the roof and on the shading canopies over the store’s car park, which can produce the equivalent energy consumption of 230 homes.  

Lidl Italia has opted to close the refrigerated cabinets in its new store, adopting a winning strategy to combat waste. With the aim of limiting cold loss inside the Villafranca store, thereby ensuring better preservation of the product range and reducing energy costs, the retailer selected the top-of-the-range products from the Costan technological offering, with glass doors also produced by Epta.

The collaboration between Lidl Italia and Epta, consolidated over years of refurbishments and the opening of numerous stores, has led to new frontiers, meaning that today the new Villafranca supermarket represents a format with a positive impact on the ecosystem, paving the way for a new generation of increasingly sustainable stores.    

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.