Comparison of annual cooling energy demand between conventional and inflatable dock door shelters for refrigerated and frozen food warehouses

•Comparison of annual cooling energy demand between conventional and inflatable docks.•Analysis of the influence of different schedules on energy demand.•Description of the methodology used to calculate the outside air infiltrations.•Comparative results for different climatic zones. The aim of this study is to estimate the energy savings potential that can be achieved using inflatable dock shelters versus simple curtain dock shelters for loading/unloading activities in logistics warehouses. The article describes how these savings have been analysed and quantified in a big logistics centre of a Spanish dealer. It takes into account different refrigeration applications (i.e. for different warehouse dock temperatures), exterior conditions and daily loading/unloading schedules and their duration. We have used mean typical years for the different Spanish climatic zones, although the procedure can be easily extended to any climate. As expected, the greatest energy savings are achieved in the warmest climates with the coldest storage temperatures and for the nocturnal operations. The savings quantification allowed us to convince the owner to replace the conventional dock shelters. Finally, the implementation of the procedure in a software-tool is helping other dealers to carry out a self-evaluation of the savings potential of their facilities.