SEC leads heat recovery revolution

A leading bar operator is using heat recovery technology from wholesale group Beijer Ref to reduce energy costs and achieve its sustainability targets.

The Revolution Bars Group operates two recognised brands, Revolution and Revolución de Cuba, alongside two new concepts in Playhouse and Founders & Co. With the recently acquired Peach Pubs, the group now has a portfolio of 88 venues.

In keeping with its aim to become the first bar company to reach Net Zero before 2030, the business is keen to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. So, it selected the Sustainable Energy Controller (SEC)-100 heat recovery system, manufactured by SCM Frigo, for its Revolution Leeds venue in the heart of the city’s Exchange Quarter.

With a below-ground cellar, refrigeration and air conditioning equipment all located together in the first-floor plant room, the site had been using a gas boiler to provide heat throughout the building together with an immersion heater to generate hot water. The SEC unit has been connected to the bar’s existing Marstair beer cellar system and uses rejected and otherwise wasted heat from the cooling equipment to produce hot water.

Attractive proposition

Clair Deighton, Beijer Ref’s Product Development Manager, said: “The project for Revolution provides further evidence of SEC’s real-world ability to reduce a user’s carbon footprint, reduce operational costs and produce free hot water from what would have been wasted heat.
“The capability to make the fridge system operate as a heat pump when not working to satisfy a hot water demand makes SEC an attractive proposition to any bar operator.

“In a typical restaurant or bar, refrigeration accounts for up to 40% of total energy costs, while heating hot water (potable and wet system) adds 35%. This makes SEC suitable for any business using a refrigeration system, with hospitality venues including cellars and kitchens being the ideal application.

“A further key benefit for the customer is our ability to generate an energy survey covering the current system, proposed system and associated savings, in terms of both energy and CO₂ emissions.’’

The SEC heat recovery system is reducing both costs and carbon footprint for the bar operator

‘Obvious and easy decision’

Matthew Nattrass, Building Development Manager at Revolution Bars Group, said: “When Beijer Ref reached out to us regarding SEC, it was an obvious and easy decision for us to take this further. Not only has SEC reduced our operational costs but it is also contributing towards our journey of becoming the first Net Zero bar company before 2030. 

“The team at Beijer Ref provided us with energy and carbon saving costs before the installation and the ROI was very appealing. We look forward to seeing the data over the coming months and working closely together in the future.”

With a cellar cooling duty of 4.6kW in addition to the energy generated by the cellar cooling compressor of 1.15kW, a projected run time of 14 hours per day on average represents 26,444kW/year of recoverable heat. This equates to approximately 1700 litres of hot water daily and provides 5104 grams of CO2 savings per year*.

Beijer Ref UK’s Sustainable Solutions team offers a free consultancy and system design service for anyone considering SEC for a project.  [email protected]

*Carbon reductions calculated using 0.183kgCO2/kWh for the gas usage replaced, and boiler efficiency 85%.