Certified energy management system provides good energy in Irma

The Danish supermarket Irma is not afraid to explore new ways and make high demands, whether it’s related to the environment, animal welfare or quality. Thus, also related to the use of energy. Therefore, Irma has obtained certification of their energy management system as the first of Coop’s supermarket chains.

The smiles were big, when Vice President Nils Linde Olsen from FORCE Technology handed over the certificate to Søren Steffensen, Director at Irma, as a proof that Irma has obtained a DS / EN ISO 50001 certification of their energy management system.

Coop’s supermarket chains, which in addition to Irma include SuperBrugsen, Dagli’brugsen, Kvickly and Fakta, want to save 20% of the energy consumption by 2020 compared to 2016 with the initiated project Energy2020.

An expected total investment of DKK 300 million will start several major initiatives related to energy efficiency including the certification according to DS / EN ISO 50001.

High energy costs

Before the actual certification, Irma has worked very hard to monitor and improve its energy consumption in the supermarkets. Due to high energy costs in Denmark, it pays to most companies to focus on energy costs and energy efficiency.

Among other things the energy optimization in Irma include installation of new main and bi- electricity meters on water and heat, CTS systems for controlling and monitoring ventilation and heating; and replacement of LED lighting as well as central monitoring of refrigeration equipment. All these meters and tools make it possible to streamline and control the energy consumption of each supermarket. At the same time data is recorded so Irma continuously can assess where changes will pay off and whether the development is going the right way or not.

Certified energy management – an effective tool

To find the right partner to certify their energy management system, Coop chose to make a call for tenders. After two rounds and a thorough investigation, FORCE Certification was chosen as partner in the certification process. Kira Toft Schmidt, Project Manager at Coop, says:
“Already in the tendering phase, we experienced a very professional dialogue with FORCE Certification. They listen carefully to our needs and the tender material was completely tailored and transparent, which made it very easy to decide on.”

FORCE Certification initiated the collaboration with a pre-audit of Coop’s energy management system to assess whether Coop was ready for the actual certification process or not.

Thereafter, the actual certification process took place in two phases. In phase 1 auditors from FORCE Certification verified Irma’s energy management system in accordance to DS / EN ISO 50001. In phase 2 auditors verified the implementation and efficiency of the energy management system through interviews of employees and management among other things.

“We have had a great cooperation with FORCE Certification throughout the entire process. It has been a major job to create an overview and get ready for the certification. When increasing the number of energy meters from 8,700 to 20,000 there was a large amount of data and documentation to keep track of. Therefore, a certification partner who understood our difficult case was necessary. FORCE Certification did that without compromising the requirements in ISO 50001, says Kira Toft Schmidt.”

Irma takes the lead – but that’s just the beginning

The Energy2020 project includes all other supermarkets in the Coop Group where the certified energy management systems will be rolled out in 2018. Thus, energy management helps both to save money, get a better overview of the energy use and to ensure optimal operation and thereby emphasizing Coop’s social responsibility.