CIR Food, the Italian Catering Cooperative, was founded in 1992 as a catering company from the merger of three cooperatives active since the early 70s. With over 40 years of experience in the direct management of canteens and cooking centres, CIR Food is active in collective catering services, catering services and meal vouchers. The company operates in 15 Italian regions, producing over 76 million meals a year, equal to about 500 million euros in turnover, with a workforce of 11,000 people.

The annual energy requirements of the CIR food plant are 890 MWh of electricity and 490 MWh of thermal energy in the form of hot water.

From the energy audit carried out, the following energy efficiency interventions were identified:

• Heat pump installation
• Installation of photovoltaic system

It is an analysis that allows you to dynamically map the energy functioning of the company. The aspects related to seasonality and/or variability of production were the subject of in-depth analysis directly with the customer. The output of the analysis carried out by certified EGEs made it possible to assess in advance the possible gains deriving from savings in energy bills and TEEs (energy efficiency certificates).

The energy audit aims to contribute to the development and growth of the culture of alternative energy, to spread its ideological and ethical values, to make the most advanced technologies in the field usable, and to maximize their advantages, to achieve important energy savings, while reducing the environmental impact.
From an economic point of view, the energy upgrading of the plant has made it possible to achieve significant primary energy savings of 10%.