EHI study on energy consumption figures in the retail sector

Energy is an indispensable resource. However, it comes with a responsibility towards the environment and the future. Through continuous investment in modern, efficient plant technology, the retail sector has been able to significantly reduce its energy consumption in recent years. Due to the high costs involved, the switch to climate-friendly heating systems is only taking place gradually. The EHI study ‘Energy Management in Retail 2025’ shows: ‘The future of energy efficiency in the retail sector lies in consistent digitalisation, improved transparency and the strategic integration of all energy-related systems,’ says study author Benjamin Chini.

Energy consumption in the food and non-food retail sectors

Energy consumption figures in the retail sector show a significant decline when viewed over the long term (since 2018). While electricity consumption in the food retail sector was still 317 kWh per square metre of sales area in 2018, it fell to 289 kWh/sqm of sales area in the year under review, 2024. In the non-food retail sector, it has fallen from 103 kWh/sqm of sales area (2018) to 74 kWh/sqm of sales area (2024) in the comparison years. In particular, the increasing use of heat pumps is leading to a shift from thermal energy to electrical energy. Heat energy consumption averages 89 kWh/sqm of sales area in the food retail sector and 66 kWh/sqm of sales area in the non-food retail sector. In the food retail sector, refrigeration technology is the biggest power consumer (52 per cent), followed by lighting (20 per cent) and air conditioning/ventilation (9 per cent). In non-food retail, lighting (56 per cent) and air conditioning/ventilation (29 per cent) are the biggest consumers of electricity.

Investments in electricity efficiency

The common goal of the retail sector is to further reduce energy consumption. To this end, it is investing in technologies with savings potential. In order to save electricity, the food retail sector is allocating 60 per cent of its investments to refrigeration technology. This is followed by lighting with 16 per cent, renewable energy generation/use/storage with 13 per cent and air conditioning/ventilation with 8 per cent. Naturally, the priorities are different in the non-food retail sector, where refrigeration technology does not play a role, but the focus is on optimal lighting of the goods. Accordingly, 68 per cent is invested in lighting, 13 per cent in air conditioning/ventilation/heating and 12 per cent in renewable energy generation/use/storage.

Investments in thermal efficiency

In the food retail sector, investment priorities in terms of heat savings are as follows: 35 per cent in heat recovery/waste heat utilisation, 25 per cent in building envelopes, 25 per cent in renewable heat generation/heat storage and 11 per cent in intelligent control/regulation. For non-food retailers, the latter is the main focus of investment. They use 54 per cent of their budgets for intelligent control/regulation. As with food retailers, renewable heat generation/storage accounts for 25 per cent and heat recovery/waste heat utilisation for 9 per cent. Investments in the building envelope are almost negligible at 1 per cent, which is due to the fact that almost all of the properties are rented.

Switch to climate-friendly heating systems

The largest group of respondents (41 per cent) plans to switch up to a quarter of their energy sources to renewable energy by 2030. Nine per cent intend to convert the majority of their systems (51–99 per cent). A further 23 per cent would like to renew between 26 and 50 per cent of their heating systems during this period. Only 9 per cent of respondents plan to completely convert their entire fossil fuel-powered heating fleet to renewable systems by 2030. This reflects in particular the financial challenges of switching to climate-friendly heating systems. The capital intensity of the investment represents a significant hurdle for many owners and operators of heating systems.

About the study in German language: https://www.ehi.org/produkt/studie-energiemanagement-im-einzelhandel-2025-pdf