IKEA boosts HVAC energy efficiency by 25 percent
With more than 276 stores in Europe and over 459 worldwide, IKEA is one of the world’s leading decoration and furniture retailers. It has one clear mission: to generate a positive impact on people and the planet.
For IKEA, sustainability is a significant driver of innovation and growth, and one of the fundamental pillars of IKEA’s sustainability strategy is the reduction of its carbon footprint. The company’s goal is to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2030.
HVAC systems often account for around 40 percent of commercial buildings’ energy consumption, so developing more energy-efficient HVAC would be a huge step towards IKEA’s sustainability goals.
With this in mind, the energy efficiency of HVAC systems was targeted for improvement in two of IKEA’s largest stores in Spain (in San Sebastián de los Reyes and Alcorçon). The two stores cover a combined area of approximately 80,000 square meters.
IKEA took a decisive step to reduce HVAC emissions by installing new, energy-efficient air-conditioning systems optimized with ABB drives. Specifically, IKEA selected HVAC systems equipped with ABB ACH580 and ACH550 drives, and in total ABB has supplied 15 ACH580 low harmonic drives for these systems and a complete package of standard ACH580 and ACH550 drives, with an aggregate power of 600 kilowatts (kW).
“At IKEA we are committed to sustainability and we strive to minimize the climate footprint of our operations,” explains Qi Kai Sheng, Head of Circularity and Climate Change in the Sustainability Department of IKEA Ibérica. “The implementation of energy efficiency solutions is a basic and vital element to continue growing our business while reducing our carbon footprint. These types of solutions will allow us to be more energy efficient by reducing our consumption, something that brings us a little closer to our aspiration to become a 100% circular business by 2030.”
Juan Bachiller, Lead Business Manager of ABB in Spain adds: “Energy efficiency has the potential to contribute to reaching 40 percent of the emission reduction targets set in the Paris Agreement, and steps such as those we are taking to improve the HVAC systems of buildings such as these IKEA stores may seem small, but together, applying similar solutions in many buildings, they can represent giant steps towards a much more environmentally sustainable society.”
