In order for a shopping center to be “the coolest place in town”, it needs to provide more than just a trendy selection of stores: When outdoor temperatures reach uncomfortable heights, shopping centers, given their pleasant, air-conditioned atmospheres, become popular destinations. Footfall records, which shopping center operator SES has been analyzing at its locations in Austria for many years, confirm this to be true. During periods of hot weather, one statistical finding is particularly striking: The proportion of people over the age of 60 averages between 15 and 20 percent and rises by 3 to 5 percentage points when temperatures are higher. Air conditioning at SES centers is 100 percent powered by green electricity and, depending on the location, also makes use of cold water storage, night ventilation, fountain cooling, and groundwater pumps.

Shopping centers tend to experience short-term declines in footfall as a result of the occasional day or two of high outdoor temperatures. However, if a hot spell lasts longer than three to four days, footfall at shopping centers increases significantly.

Effective Protection Against Hay Fever and Other Ailments: Filtered Fresh Air
“People who are prone to health problems when outdoor temperatures are high tend to seek out air-conditioned places during a heat wave. Shopping centers are extremely attractive in that respect. The fact that the fresh air is also filtered before it cools down offers an additional advantage, especially for allergy sufferers," explains Christoph Andexlinger, COO of SES Spar European Shopping Centers. When using modern air conditioning systems, particular attention is paid to the optimization of power consumption.

Green Electricity and In-house Production
SES Centers in Austria exclusively use green electricity. Energy is supplied via geothermal energy or district heating in cooperation with local energy suppliers. In-house production covers a large proportion of the electricity requirements at some locations: SILLPARK Innsbruck uses energy generated by its own hydroelectric power plant. WEBERZEILE Ried and MURPARK Graz have recently started operating high-performance photovoltaics systems on their roofs, and, on some days, they even produce a surplus of electricity, which is then fed into the general power grid.

High Demand for Sophisticated Building Technology
At many SES centers, the cool night air is used to reduce room temperatures outside opening hours with minimal energy input. To further increase energy efficiency, the temperature of the cold water storage tanks is cooled to eight degrees during the night; during the day, it is used to support the cooling of the shopping center via the ventilation systems. The centers are also partially cooled via fountains. In terms of air conditioning, even greater economic efficiency is ensured by means of highly efficient groundwater heat pumps. All ventilation systems feature technical equipment for heat recovery.

In addition, all SES shopping centers utilize the proprietary, demand-controlled fresh air supply system to avoid having to cool – or, in winter, heat – unnecessarily large volumes of air.

Both solar shading as well as a special coating used in the roof glazing help to keep the energy required for air conditioning to a minimum. Several SES centers have already received international awards for their commitment to sustainability within shopping centers. In 2008, SES was the first shopping mall operator in Europe to receive the ICSC ReSource Award for sustainable action in the environmental, social, and economic fields.