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We know you are too busy to read this book, so we made it short, non-technical and easy to read. Whether you manage a gas station mini-mart or a 100,000-squarefoot big box market, you have a thousand things to check on or do with neither time enough nor help enough to do them. Beyond all the problems you face every day just trying to make a profit, now there is pressure from every side to save energy and go green. This book helps you to either just scratch the surface of sustainability or dive as deep as you want into ways to save money while greening your store.
Grocery stores consume more electricity and gas than any other industry in the commercial sector. Compared to most businesses, reducing our energy consumption is easy and can actually save you money. According to the EPA, every energy dollar saved translates into $59.00 of groceries that you don’t have to sell in order to make the same profit.
Chapter One describes fifty ways to improve your bottom line virtually for free.
Chapter Two suggests a few dozen other ways to spend only a little money to watch your energy costs plummet while your profits rise.
If you are looking to invest in your company’s future and wonder about the best ways to save more money and be significantly more profitable while going seriously green, go to Chapter Three. There we show you what both major and minor grocery chains all over the country are doing to improve their profitability, sustainability and simply stay alive in one of the most competitive industries imaginable.
CHAPTER ONE Fifty Free or Nearly-Free Upgrades
As you will see, nearly all of this chapter’s upgrades necessitate only a slight shift in your store team’s environmental philosophy and/or a little more attention to detail. None of these are difficult and, cumulatively, they all have an immediate and measurable bottom line payback.
Some of the tasks listed below are obvious. Hopefully, many of them are already part of an established sustainability program.
LIGHTING
o Replace incandescent lamps with CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps).
o Turn off unneeded sales floor, accent and department lighting.
o Reduce lighting by removing selected sales floor lamps.
o Do not over light.
o Remove excess lighting in stockroom and storage spaces.
o Turn off parking lot lights during the day and after your last employee goes home.
o Adjust timers to accommodate the seasons, daylight savings and changing store hours.
HVAC
o Set your cold thermostat at 78° and hot at 68° degrees.
o Seal off unused offices or rarely used areas including the machine and electrical rooms.
o Turn off exhaust fans when not in use.
REFRIGERATION
o Use correct temperatures. Colder isn’t always better.
o Create accountability for case temperatures.
o Create an Employee Preventative Maintenance Schedule.
o Properly load refrigerated equipment.
o Close walk-in freezer and cooler doors.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT AND STORE OPERATIONS
o Create a green team.
o Use power strips dedicated to specific equipment.
o Activate power management software on your computer.
o Recycle more than just paper.
COOKING
o Stagger equipment turn-on times and selectively preheat ovens and grills.
o Turn down fryers between batches.
o Shut off exhaust hoods when not in use.
o Recalibrate broilers and ovens.
o Restrict warmer usage.
o Cook during off-peak hours.
o Cook in large quantities.
CHAPTER TWO Low Cost Energy-Saving Upgrades
Most of the upgrades described here in Chapter Two can be accomplished at a minimal cost. Choose the ones that will give you the fastest payback.
LIGHTING
o Start with replacing just five barely burning incandescent lamps with CFLs.
o Install exterior timers.
o Install occupancy sensors in all closed rooms.
o Replace neon and accent lighting with LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamps.
o Install ‘second generation’ T-8 lamps.
o Replace yellow or hazy lenses, diffusers and globes.
o Buy only Energy Star lamps.
HVAC
o Install timers to shut down non-essential systems during off hours.
o Set economizers properly.
o Pretreat cooling tower water.
o Replace worn or cracked weather stripping and seal up all holes.
o Install reflective tint on windows.
o Use portable space heaters or fans in enclosed rooms.
REFRIGERATION
o Adjust defrost controls.
o Service walk-in boxes annually.
o Install anti-sweat heater controls on frozen food doors.
o Install insulation on bare refrigeration lines.
o Replace T-12 case lighting with T-8 lamps or LED lighting.
o Install automatic door closers on walk-in freezer and coolers.
o Install night curtains.
CHAPTER THREE Investing In Your Green Store
Sustainability isn’t an all or none proposition. Start with three or four fast payback projects that your customers and store team will instantly notice and appreciate. Then slip in a couple high ROI projects that are completely invisible like retrocommissioning or new ECM fan motors. Note: Retrocommissioning should always be among your top ten energy-saving upgrades and definitely part of every remodel. The paybacks are too significant to pass up.
LIGHTING
o Replace all T-12 fluorescent lamps with T-8 or T-5 lamps.
o Install electronic dimmable ballasts.
o Install energy-efficient lighting in display cases.
o Install skylights with photo-sensors.
o Control daylighting and optimize daylight harvesting.
o Install LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights in EXIT signs.
o Install LED case lighting and accent lighting.
HVAC
o Install economizers.
o Install automatic shut-off devices.
o Install an EMS system capable of separately controlling lighting, HVAC and refrigeration.
o Install programmable thermostats.
o Install adjustable speed drives on HVAC equipment.
o Ventilate internal heat sources to the outside.
o Install special window coverings and/or awnings.
o Install attic fans.
REFRIGERATION
o Install anti-sweat controls.
o Install ECM (Electronically Commutated Motors) motors.
o Install strip curtains.
o Install glass doors on refrigerated cases.
WATER AND WATER HEATING
o Preheat hot water with a heat recovery system.
o Install water-efficient faucets and toilets.
o Install instant-hot water heaters.
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