A dollar saved in electricity has the same impact on the bottom line as an $18 increase in sales, according to U.S. Department of Energy figures cited in a feature at Supermarket News.
Average usage for a supermarket is 51.5 kilowatt-hours per square foot, which sets the average expenditure on refrigeration, lighting and HVAC in a 50,000-square foot store at $256,274. Energy upgrades in refrigeration and lighting a store with that profile would cut spending by as much as 44 percent. Adding HVAC savings would increase savings to 47 percent, the story said.
Where are these savings to come from, however? The story points to door retrofits for open cases; “SeatMiser” retrofits that monitor heat and humidity; use of LEDs; low-heat door retrofits for freezers; fan motor upgrades and gradual store recommissioning.
Such savings are attractive to vendors as well as supermarket owners. Late last month, Fortune posted a feature about QM Power, a company that is building motors that can cut energy consumption by between 50 percent and 80 percent compared to traditional fan-based motors. A deployment of the motors – and the example used in the story -- is in refrigerated cases of a Vons supermarket in San Diego.
