The developer of the energy-saving aerofoil shelf strips, Aerofoil Energy, has been awarded Queen’s Award for Innovation in Enterprise, as it gets shelf-edge technology installed on open-fronted multi-deck supermarket fridges.
The UK supermarkets industry comprising Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Scotmid Co-op, Waitrose, WH Smith, and M&S has widely secured the Aerofoil product. It is evaluated since 2016, Aerofoil has conserved the sector around £100m in energy costs and already evaded some 150 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Paul McAndrew, CEO, Aerofoil Energy said: “We are honoured to have been recognized by Her Majesty with this award for our energy-saving technology and commercial success. Open-fronted supermarket fridges are a great way to display food and make it easy for customers to choose from, but they are very power-hungry. Our unique innovation, the Aerofoil, has provided our clients with a straightforward solution that significantly reduces the fridge’s power consumption whilst improving the convenience and comfort of the shopping experience.”
The Aerofoil blades are manufactured by local businesses in the UK from 100% recycled aluminium and are completely recyclable. The award is given to the company’s pioneering use of shelf-edge technology to enhance the energy efficiency of display refrigeration, which accounts for 3% of the UK’s entire consumption of electricity.
The company is now stretching out internationally to establish its Aerofoil shelf-edge technology to the world’s largest grocery retailers in Europe, the USA, and Asia.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK business, designed to recognize and encourage outstanding achievements in the fields of Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility). The Queen’s Awards scheme was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965 and the first Awards were made in 1966. This year, 205 UK businesses were recognized for their efforts.
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