Korea's BGF Retail to cut power use with smart devices

BGF Retail, the operator of South Korea’s largest convenience store chain CU, said on Thursday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Power Exchange to introduce a power reduction automation system and conduct a demonstration project.

This will be the first power reduction project based on remote metering infrastructure and smart devices in the convenience store industry.

The project will be test-operated at five directly-managed stores, including the CU Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Seocho Green locations.

When the Korea Power Exchange makes a request for power reduction due to poor fine dust or power supply emergency situations, the brightness and temperature at each store will be remotely adjusted through smart devices, so that power consumption can be automatically adjusted downward without doing anything at the store.

BGF Retail said it plans to further increase the number of stores participating in energy saving by accepting applications from franchisees that wish to introduce the automation system in the future.

Write to Jeong-Cheol Bae at bjc@hankyung.com