Sainsbury’s is one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, serving over 22 million customers a week from over 1,000 stores across the country. It aims to be the UK’s greenest grocer and has put in place a detailed roadmap to achieve its sustainability goals.

In 2011 Open Energi signed a 10 year deal with Sainsbury’s to equip heating and ventilation systems (HVAC) across 200 stores with Dynamic Demand. The technology turns the supermarket’s HVAC into smart devices which can respond to fluctuations in electricity supply and demand in real-time, and help National Grid to keep power supplies flowing.

Sainsbury’s and Open Energi are now in the process of trialing other equipment whose demand for energy can be flexed without impacting operational performance.