Energy consumption makes up a significant percentage of a supermarket's operational costs, with energy-hungry refrigerators that keep the produce cool the largest consumer of power. Sainsbury's shoppers however, will no longer feel the chill of cold air spilling out to supermarket aisles.

A ground-breaking Aerofoil developed by Williams will reduce energy consumption across 1,400 supermarkets and stores in the UK and will cut energy consumption by 44m kWh every year, the equivalent of 320million kettles boiled.

The device, which has been inspired by the rear wing on the Williams F1 car, has shown significant reductions in energy consumption (up to 30% in lab testing), and has been trialled in 50 Sainsbury's stores and the UK's second largest supermarket chain, will now install the Aerofoils as part of a significant retrofit programme, whilst all new fridges will be fitted with the technology as standard moving forward.

Williams Advanced Engineering worked closely with UK start-up Aerofoil Energy Ltd. to develop the device using its expertise in aero and thermodynamics, part of its growth strategy to commercialise sustainable technology.

"Working with Sainsbury's shows how Formula One can be a vehicle for change and is another example of how we engineer advantage for our customers," said Craig Wilson, Managing Director at Williams Advanced Engineering. "As air quality and sustainability concerns revolutionize traditional industries, there is huge growth potential for our business in deploying energy efficient technology in a range of sectors, not just automotive. Formula One is the ultimate R&D platform which can be applied beyond the racetrack to solve some of society's most demanding challenges."

"By keeping the cold air in our fridges using this technology, we'll see an energy reduction of up to 15% which, when multiplied across all of our stores is a significant amount of energy saved," added Sainsbury's Head of Sustainability, Engineering, Energy and Environment, Paul Crewe. "By looking outside of our industry, and borrowing technology from an industry that is renowned for its speed and efficiency, we are accelerating how we are reducing the impact on the environment whilst making shopping in Sainsbury's stores a more comfortable experience."