Cold Storage, Warehousing,
and Distribution
From refrigeration and freezer facilities to 24/7 logistics hubs, energy costs can make or break profitability for cold storage and distribution businesses. Add in the government’s Net Zero targets and rising regulatory pressures, and the sector faces a tough balancing act: keeping products safe and secure while cutting carbon and controlling costs.
At Businesswise Solutions, we help cold chain operators take control of their energy strategy, delivering cost savings, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance across the supply chain.
The UK’s commitment to becoming carbon zero by 2050 is likely to result in significant regulatory pressure on the cold store sector to continue to lower energy use and emissions in the coming years above and beyond what the sector has already achieved.
Insight from Energy Efficiency in Cold Stores – Cold Chain Federation
UK cold chain produces 13 mtCO2e per year
The amount of CO2 produced yearly contributes to around 4% of the UK’s total emissions. This includes emissions from refrigeration transport units, refrigerant leaks and electricity use.
Innovative energy procurement and bureau services
For cold storage and logistics businesses, energy can be one of the largest overheads. With refrigeration units and freezer warehouses running constantly, exposure to volatile energy markets poses a major risk.
We help businesses secure smarter procurement strategies that provide stability and long-term value. Our bureau services then ensure contracts are actively managed, invoices are validated, and any anomalies are resolved, meaning you only pay for the energy you use.
Ongoing support and agile market engagement have enabled a frozen produce specialist to realise £800,000 in energy cost savings to date, outperforming day one prices in a volatile market landscape.
Complete energy management
With refrigeration and chilled storage operating 24/7, even small inefficiencies can drive significant costs. Cold chain operators need clear visibility of their energy use to identify waste, optimise equipment, and ensure facilities run as efficiently as possible.
Our Energy Management as a Service (EMaaS) provides real-time monitoring and analysis at site and machine level. From tracking refrigeration unit performance to identifying demand spikes and scheduling inefficiencies, we help operators cut costs, reduce waste, and lower emissions.
“Using Businesswise’s EMaaS has been the next step our company needed. It’s allowed us to track and visualise our energy waste in a way we haven’t seen before. Having access to this tangible date has meant we have made savings of 10% on our initial projects and plan to use EMaaS for all projects in the future.”
Director – Chilled and frozen food distributor
Supporting the cold storage and distribution industry with energy and carbon compliance
With rising regulatory scrutiny, compliance is no longer just about meeting legal obligations. It’s about protecting profitability and enhancing your sustainability credentials with retailers, suppliers, and regulators.
Our compliance specialists manage obligations, ensuring data is accurate, audit-ready, and submitted on time. We also identify reliefs and exemptions that can unlock significant financial benefits.
Our compliance team are experts in:
- SECR
- CCA / CCL
- ESOS
- ESG policy
We identified over £1 million in annual energy savings for a leading frozen and chilled product wholesaler, uncovering opportunities through detailed cost analysis and contract optimisation tailored to the demands of cold-chain operations.