Within the building sector, supermarkets are responsible for 3-
5% of the electricity consumed in developed countries. To mitigate
the associated environmental impact of this consumption, a growing
interest has been developed in local combined heat and power
(CHP) systems, due to their higher total efficiencies. However, CHP
efficiency is highly dependent on the thermal output utilisation. In
food retail buildings, where refrigeration dominates the building
energy use, a promising means for utilising the thermal output is by
using this to operate absorption chillers. This paper reports on a
technical feasibility and financial viability study of an ammoniawater
absorption chiller, coupled to a CHP unit, that is also
compared to a conventional electrically-driven vapour-compression
equivalent. A typical distribution centre located in the UK is selected
as a case-study. Three alternative systems are considered: i) a
conventional grid connected system; ii) a CHP system; and iii) a
trigeneration system. Typical daily cooling, heating and hot-water
demand data are provided on an hourly basis, and the system’s
ability to cover these loads is assessed. The results indicate that the
trigeneration system can reduce the electricity demand by 16%
compared to the baseline system, while offering a 48% annual
energy cost saving. The system’s primary energy utilisation rate
exceeds 60%, while the power-to-heat ratio of the building demand
improves from 7.0 to 0.9, thereby more closely matching the CHP
system generation profile. Furthermore, the trigeneration system
achieves CHPQA rating of 106, and it is qualified for enhanced
capital allowance for the CHP plant. The results highlight the great
energy and cost savings potentials of integrating trigeneration
systems in energy-intensive buildings.