Sainsbury’s has adopted new technology that allows it to use heat produced by chillers to heat its stores.

The Geoscart technology is being used in 100 stores, cutting energy consumption by more than 30%, the retailer said.

The technology works by storing heat from the chillers in an underground vault. The heat is then pumped back into the store when required.

“We’re delighted to be leading the way on this groundbreaking technology – helping to reduce energy use and carbon,” said Sainsbury’s head of sustainability, engineering and energy Paul Crewe.

“I hope that with Geoscart’s help we’ll now see more retailers following suit.”

Geoscart CEO Grahame Newton added: “We developed the baseline technology from the oil and gas sector and have successfully applied it to the retail-consumer space.

“We are looking forward to rolling out the technology to a wider audience with the help of our operational partners.”