A Rewe Group supermarket in Hanover, Germany received Passive House certification, making it the country’s first supermarket built to the standards.

The certification of the supermarket, which opened just over one year ago, shows that it is possible to achieve low energy demand, despite the constant refrigeration needed for fresh foods. Highly efficient equipment used in the market will reduce energy consumption, while a well-insulated building envelope reduces waste heat generated by the refrigeration system.

The market highlights the importance of building-use specific demands when it comes to sustainability. In comparison to residential buildings, heating plays only a minor role in the energy balance of supermarkets. Instead, 60 per cent of energy consumption in supermarkets is a result of the cooling needs, while another 20 per cent is attributed to lighting.

At the Hanover market, technical devices with the maximum energy efficiency were chosen. The lighting system used only consumes half as much energy as an average system, though it has the same light output of a conventional system. Active heating is unnecessary in the winter; instead, a rotary heat exchanger inside the ventilation system ensures heat recovery.

“All in all, grocery stores normally consume an extremely large amount of energy; in many cases, the costs for energy equal the net profit generated through sales,” says Dr. Jürgen Schnieders of the Passive House Institute, who consulted on the project.

The supermarket is part of the new Zero:e Park, an emissions-free residential area. The community will house about 330 residential buildings, all of which are being built to the Passive House standard.