Application of the Supersmart energy-benchmark tool for supermarkets

Supermarket refrigeration has high energy consumption and often still uses high-GWP refrigerants; consequently they have a huge potential for improvement in terms of environmental impact. Based on the Author's institutions experience in refrigeration technology and natural refrigerants, TU Braunschweig and SINTEF Energy Research are currently developing the so called SuperSmart-Tool. It is an energy benchmark tool for supermarkets that addresses also users with limited knowledge in the field of refrigeration technology, thanks to its user-friendly interface and flexibility. It will contain a component database with commercially available products and an assistant that helps the user to design his own supermarket. It evaluates the energy performance of a whole supermarket, including all relevant energetic systems, considering the boundary conditions chosen by the designer, as for example shopping habits and opening hours. This paper presents the main concepts of the tool, considerations regarding simulation models and especially the future field of application on a global perspective. A special focus will be laid on possible applications of this tool to compare the performance of refrigeration systems using natural and non-natural refrigerants.