Refrigeration contributes to dairy savings

UK: Increased efficiencies in refrigeration have contributed to the UK dairy industry’s success in exceeding its climate change commitments.

Data collected by Dairy Energy Savings, which runs the dairy sector’s Climate Change Agreement scheme (CCA), shows that since 2008 the dairy industry has achieved a 15% improvement in its energy efficiency. This means that dairy processors have already surpassed the 2020 CCA target of a 13.6% improvement in energy efficiency, as well as reaching the 2020 Dairy Roadmap target of 15%.

Dairy UK, the trade association for the British dairy supply chain, attributes the savings to moves towards more efficient equipment, technologies and product mixes, fuel switches and increased employee engagement.

Many sites, its says, have also started to map their energy use patterns to identify energy hotspots where reductions can be made. As a result, this has led to efficiency improvements in steam generation, refrigeration and compressed air.