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Digital twin identifies £22k/year savings for wholesaler
Justin Stanton Editor, CM Digital
Image: IES
United Wholesale Scotland (UWS), Scotland’s largest independent cash-and-carry and wholesale operator, has identified £18,000-£21,700 in annual savings opportunities at its Queenslie HQ in Glasgow via a digital twin.
Developed by IES, the IES Live twin has been deployed in phase 2 of UWS’s energy optimisation programme. It builds on a successful first phase, which used live performance monitoring linked to a calibrated digital twin of the site and identified potential annual savings of £25,000-£30,600 within 12 weeks.
In phase 2, IES and UWS partnered with MeterZ to deploy a rapid, cost-effective metering strategy across key operational areas.
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The approach combined 30 days of half-hourly data from existing automatic meter reading (AMR) meters with flexible clamps on main consumers for targeted monitoring. Within just two weeks, the enhanced data analysis delivered actionable insights across lighting, gas scheduling, refrigeration, compactor use, solar PV generation, EV charging and forklift charging.
Phase 2 identified total annual savings opportunities of 117MWh to 140MWh, equivalent to an 8%-10% reduction in site Energy Use Intensity. These measures could save UWS between £18,000 and £21,700 per year.
The largest opportunity came from gas-use scheduling, where optimisation could save 85MWh to 102MWh and £8,500-£10,200 annually. Further savings were identified through lighting optimisation outside operating hours (£3,000-£4,000), reducing idle compactor consumption (approximately £3,500), and overnight refrigeration optimisation (£3,000-£4,000).
Solar PV meter readings
The additional metering also strengthens UWS’s ability to monitor and validate performance over time. Installed metering includes sub-metering of general lighting, automated PV meter readings for more accurate generation tracking, and monitoring of refrigeration, EV and forklift charging to help manage emerging electrical loads.
The analysis also showed that the site’s solar PV system was generating around 50% less energy than expected due to maintenance issues, affecting both onsite energy performance and Feed-in Tariff income. With additional metering now in place, UWS can track PV performance through IES Live to validate maintenance works and improve returns from the existing system.
Jason Butler, head of operations at UWS, said: “The insights we’ve gained through IES Live have delivered real value. Working closely with the IES team, we’ve identified operational inefficiencies that simply weren’t visible before and quickly turned those findings into measurable savings. From optimising our LED screens to improving solar PV performance, the platform has given us the data needed to make informed decisions with confidence.
“As we expand this approach across multiple UWS sites, IES Live will continue to play a key role in improving efficiency, reducing costs, and supporting our sustainability goals.”
Laurie McKelvie, technical delivery lead for IES Live at IES, added: “For many large operational sites, the challenge is not a lack of ambition, but a lack of visibility over how buildings are actually performing in use. By combining live operational data, targeted metering and a calibrated digital twin, UWS can move beyond assumptions and make faster, evidence-based decisions around maintenance, operational performance and future investment.
“This second phase demonstrates how granular metering can turn live insight into measurable action – reducing waste, improving asset performance and supporting a scalable route to net zero.”
