Any business owner can attest to the fact that energy prices have skyrocketed in the past few years, making electricity one of their biggest outgoings. Since 2021, non-domestic energy prices have almost doubled, and despite the fact that they’ve come off the peak, they are still around a shocking 75% higher than they were pre-crisis.
For supermarkets and other types of food shops, refrigeration consumes around 30-50% of the total energy of the site, with shops that specialise in frozen food sitting at the top end of that range. It’s clear from the data that refrigeration and freezing comes with a significant cost for businesses.
Door-level economics
ClarifoilⓇ is an anti-fog film designed for freezer doors, with the aim of enhancing product visibility and reducing energy consumption. Traditional retail freezer doors use electrical heating to prevent fogging, which uses a significant amount of energy.
Assuming that ClarifoilⓇ saves 5 kWh per door each day, over the span of a year, that’s 1825 kWh saved. The recent business average for energy costs was between 22-26p/kWh, so we can assume the following cost savings:
Lower cost saving – 1825 x £0.22 = £402 per door per year
Upper cost saving – 1825 x £0.26 = £475 per door per year
Even if the data was conservatively modelled on a cost of 15p/kWh:
1825 x £0.15 = £274 per door per year.
At the current market rates, the cost savings from installing ClarifoilⓇ are significant, especially taking into account the number of freezer doors businesses may have on site. From an an energy perspective, the carbon saving per door per year is:
1,825 kWh × 0.225 kg CO₂e/kWh ≈ 0.41 tCO₂e/door/year.
If your business focuses on ESG or has environmental goals to reach, using freezer door film can have a real impact.
Estate-level scenarios
If you think about how many freezer doors you have on a single site, or across all of your sites, the cost savings can be significant. Assuming the following, you could be making these savings by using Clarifoil:
- 5 kWh per door per day
- 10 freezer doors per store
- 15p/kWh (conservative assumption) or 25p/kWh (in line with current market prices)
- CO₂: 0.225 kg/kWh.
| Doors in estate | Annual kWh saved | £/year at 15p | £/year at 25p | tCO₂/year avoided |
| 1,000 | 1,825,000 | ~£274k | ~£456k | ~410 t |
| 5,000 | 9,125,000 | ~£1.37m | ~£2.28m | ~2,060 t |
| 10,000 | 18,250,000 | ~£2.74m | ~£4.56m | ~4,110 t |
If we’re thinking about the data per store, if you had 10 freezer doors, you would be saving 18,250 kWh per year. If energy cost 15p/kWh this would save £2740 a year, or if it was 25p/kWh, you would save £4560 per year.
Payback period
The payback from using ClarifoilⓇ is a major advantage for businesses. Even when modelled at a conservative 15p/kWh, most large ClarifoilⓇ projects fall inside a sub-three-year payback window.
Compared to other methods of refrigeration plant upgrades, installing ClarifoilⓇ generally offers a shorter payback period and also is far less disruptive to store operations. Many upgrades or plant replacements involve a significant down period, but ClarifoilⓇ is quick and easy to install.
The film takes very little time for our team to fit, with minimal disruption to in-store teams, and no need to unplug or empty freezer cabinets. The fact that it is so seamless to install compared to other cost-saving options makes it a very popular choice for businesses.
Working with ClarifoilⓇ
Although it’s an innovative energy-saving solution, ClarifoilⓇ is by no means a new one. In fact, across the UK, Europe and North America, over 150,000 doors have been treated, showing how well the product performs across different climates and types of store.
We have calculated that our ClarifoilⓇ installations have saved our clients a whopping 15 million kWh of electricity per year, which really goes to show what a significant impact it can have across businesses.
A EUROSPAR trial that we carried out further backs up the efficacy of the product. During the test run, the stores recorded a 75% reduction in trim heater power and up to 6 kWh per door per day saved – and, importantly, the freezer doors stayed clear. This shows that not only does ClarifoilⓇ benefit businesses through its energy and cost savings, but also shoppers, who will find it easier to shop when there is better visibility.
Where fridges fit the finance story
For stores that primarily contain fridges, the benefits are slightly different. Freezers are where you will notice the more quantifiable energy benefits, whereas fridges won’t give the same payback. However, applying ClarifoilⓇ to fridges does still offer benefits.
Protected sales
As ClarifoilⓇ keeps doors clear, it offers better visibility for higher-margin lines such as drinks or to-go food, which reduces the risk of customers walking away because they can’t see the items properly. This means more sales and less food wastage.
Reduced labour
During busy periods where fridge doors are being opened and closed, fog can build up quickly. Installing window film means that staff won’t have to spend their time wiping down condensation during peak trading hours, and can spend their time doing something more productive for your business.
Brand image
Clear doors mean a cleaner, more professional look that is easier to maintain across a chain for estate-wide consistency. Plus, if there are any photos taken in store, it will look far more appealing.
Request an estate ROI summary
To find out how much you could save across your business, request a ClarifoilⓇ ROI summary for your estate.
If you let us know your rough store and door counts, along with your headline electricity rate, we will send you a one-page report with:
- £/door/year, £/store/year, total estate savings.
- Simple payback estimate.
- Annual kWh and tCO₂ savings for your ESG reporting.
Get in touch with our team to find out more.
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