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Additional Grocery Resources

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:06:35 +0000

Refrigeration and Thermal Test Center
Summaries of evaluation projects on topics such as how glass doors affect energy efficiency and food quality, the effect of anti-sweat heat controls on display-case efficiency, and the impact of relative humidity on display cases.

Southern California Edison's CommericalProgram
SCE has several grocery specific factsheets discussing the effects of air curtain interference, FDA product temperature requirements, and the relationship between energy use and supermarket temperature and humidity.

Design Lights^TM
Clear, practical guidance on high quality, energy-efficient commercial lighting. Click on Guides to view and download the seven-part knowhow^TM Series, which covers retail, office, high- and low-bay industrial, and daylighting applications. Each eight-page guide is filled with colorful graphics, photos, and recommendations for lamps, fixtures, and controls, plus full design layouts developed by leading lighting designers. Select Case Studies to view over 20 examples of how others have applied the information in the guides to address their lighting and budget challenges.

Food Service Technology Center
The Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) is a leader in commercial kitchen energy efficiency and appliance performance testing. This site is a rich source of information on equipment performance, commercial kitchen ventilation, and building energy efficiency, including lighting, glazing, and HVAC. Be sure to check out their Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Best Practice Design & Specification Guidelines.

Sporlan
A collection of practical educational bulletins on such topics as "Fundamentals of Head Pressure Control," "Supermarket Subcooling," and "How to Maximize Supermarket Compressor Life."

Wal-Mart High Efficiency Prototype Stores
Details on the HVAC, lighting, and refrigeration systems in the recently-opened store in Kansas City, the first in a series of High Efficiency stores that will use 20% less energy than a typical supercenter. Click on the thumbnail images at right for a brief description of each feature. The HE-1 Press Kit below the images provides additional information and perspective on Walmart's approach to energy efficiency in new store design.

EnergySmart Program
The EnergySmart Program provides free energy audits and financial support for equipment upgrades that improve efficiency in grocery stores. Audit reports summarize the cost, savings, and financial payback on equipment replacement and upgrade opportunities broken out into three categories: low/no cost projects with immediate payback; slightly higher-cost, high return investments; and longer term possibilities with less compelling, but potentially worthwhile, return.

Energy Trust of Oregon
Site of the Business Efficiency Program of the Energy Trust of Oregon, which provides financial support and information resources to commercial customers in Oregon of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, Northwest Natural Gas, and Cascade Natural Gas.

Energy Awareness Tools for Your Staff

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:57:04 +0000

Staff Energy Awareness Tools

Set up and maintain an energy-awareness program to help staff recognize how everyday work habits affect energy use. Here are some tools to help you get started.

The Rhythm of the Store

Grocery store employees can significantly help to reduce energy consumption and their store's environmental footprint. They just need to learn how. Read this short introduction andemail usto receive a copy of this short DVD that you can show to store employees and start saving energy today, or go ahead and watch the four-minute video here:

Employee Energy Awareness Posters

Download and print (11x17) in color these four posters that reinforce the key messages presented in the DVD.

Employee Energy Awareness Stickers

Energy saving reminders to staff. Click here to view stickers .

Market of Choice

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:10:02 +0000

Download a PDF of this Article

Market of Choice is managing their energy right. Through a variety of strategies they have reduced their energy consumption an estimated 15-20%.

President and CEO Rick Wright says, "We're committed to energy efficiency because we really want to be more sustainable, and because it's smart financially; natural gas and electricity aren't going to get any cheaper. Whatever we can do to offset our carbon emissions, through efficiency and solar energy, has got to help. We'll spend the extra money up front to get the most efficient stores and reduce the stores' demand for energy. The payback in reduced carbon emissions is immediate."

Wright took over the business from his father, Richard Wright, who ran Price Chopper and Thriftway stores from 1978 to 1997. Rick Wright reorganized the company and created Market of Choice to appeal to customers who want high-quality natural and organic foods as well as their favorite conventional items.

Rick Wright, President and CEO

Market of Choice has seven stores-four in Eugene, and one each in Ashland, Portland and West Linn. They range from 10,000 to 44,000 square feet, and are from one to seven years old.

The company's energy efficiency efforts hinge on the dedication, expertise, and hands-on management of Wright and Vernon Fergason, a refrigeration contractor who has worked with the Wrights since the 1970s.

Refrigeration accounts for about half the electrical energy use in a typical grocery store in the Northwest.

Their approach includes important elements of any successful energy management strategy:

buy-in at the top
performance tracking
employee training
regular maintenance
timely equipment upgrades
integrating energy-efficiency in new construction

TRACKING
Wright and Director of Operations Heinz Beierling evaluate per-store energy use quarterly and track the cost of energy per dollar of sales for each store. Wright says he also plans to analyze energy use per square foot of floor space using a spreadsheet-tool developed by BetterBricks, because he feels it will pinpoint other opportunities to manage energy use.

TRAINING
Fergason trains store managers, department managers and maintenance staff in the proper operation and maintenance of store systems. Managers also welcome employees' tips about all aspects of store operation, especially waste reduction.

Interior of Market of Choice

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE
Employees' and managers' bonuses are tied to performance, which includes managing the store's energy usage. "Electricity and gas are one of the top five line items in each store's profit and loss statements, so our managers become conscientious about energy cost," Wright says. Regular maintenance catches problems, such as malfunctioning controls and ineffective strip curtains. Refrigeration accounts for a large part of each store's energy bills, so staff frequently check for blocked airflow and accurate set points.

EQUIPMENT UPGRADES
An effective energy strategy also includes maximizing the resources and incentives offered by the local utility. Market of Choice has worked closely with the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) to replace older, inefficient refrigeration, lighting, and heating and cooling equipment in three of its Eugene-area stores.

REPLACING INEFFICIENT EQUIPMENT
Wright says that upgrading or replacing aging refrigeration equipment has the best rate of return of all energy-efficiency measures. "New cases are about 58% more efficient than the old," he explains. "The power savings, utility incentives and tax credits can yield two to three-year paybacks. Changing out our old five-deck coolers pays for itself in two to three years."
HEAT RECOVERY FOR HVAC AND WATER HEATING
Like most groceries, Wright's stores reclaim heat from the refrigeration system for water heating. Market of Choice's new stores also use reclaimed heat for space heating, which reduces gas bills significantly.
CEILING FANS
Fergason installed ceiling fans in most stores to bring warm air at the ceiling down to floor level, which reduces heating bills and improves customer and employee comfort. He sizes and locates the fans so they don't disturb the air curtains in the refrigerated cases. "Fans cost $5,000 to install and pay for themselves in about three months," Wright notes.

EFFICIENT NEW CONSTRUCTION STRATEGIES
New construction projects offer a prime opportunity to lock in energy savings from the get-go. Market of Choice has taken advantage of this by considering energy early in the design phase. Wright is actively involved in new-store design, paying attention to details that impact cost and performance. Designers also include ideas from maintenance staff about efficient equipment, store layout, and green building materials. Some of the energy-saving design strategies in their stores include:

DAYLIGHTING
In the newest store, at 29th Street in Eugene, a large south-facing clerestory lights the entry area naturally; sun shelves control heat gain and deflect additional light into the store. Two large skylights illuminate the other two-thirds of the store.
SOLAR ELECTRICITY
The 30.8-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV), or solar electric, system on the 29th Street store's heat-reflective white roof is one of the largest PV systems in operation in Eugene. Through a direct generation contract, EWEB buys all of the electricity produced by the system, which is equivalent to the power needed for the store's lights and computers. Wright is considering expanding the system to 58 kilowatts, and installing PVs on all Market of Choice stores. "The PVs will pay for themselves in the long run," Wright says. "And we have many customers, particularly in Eugene, who appreciate our investment in clean energy."

OTHER GREEN ACTIONS
Market of Choice stores compost their organic waste onsite and donate the material to local community gardens and food banks. They also use the most Earth-friendly packaging they can find. These and other "green" practices further reduce the stores' energy footprint.

DOING MORE
Market of Choice already has done plenty to save energy, says Dan Morehouse, Energy Management Engineer at EWEB. And Larry Giardina, Conservation Analyst with the City of Ashland's municipal utility, agrees. "Market of Choice is a high-end business that is both efficient and effective."

Nonetheless, Wright and Fergason always are looking for additional opportunities. "I'll bet we still can find 20% more savings in our older stores," Wright states. "Anywhere we can save money helps us be more competitive. We can put that money into other things, such as customer service."

The newest Market of Choice store, on 29th Street in Eugene, Oregon.

Hannaford

admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:12:54 +0000

There is nothing like a living example to show how energy efficiency saves money and reduces impact on the environment. Here, we profile a forward-thinking grocery company that has put energy efficiency into its strategic plan - and is reaping the rewards of lower energy bills and national recognition.

Hannaford Bros. Co., a 158-store chain in New England and New York, has been a leader in energy efficiency since the 1990s. In 2006, 16 of its stores earned ENERGY STAR® status from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the chain gained the EPA's prestigious ENERGY STAR Leaders designation for superior energy performance.

According to the EPA, each of Hannaford's 16 ENERGY STAR-labeled stores uses about 40% less energy than stores with average energy performance, avoiding more than 52 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year - the equivalent of taking more than 5,100 cars off the road.

Performance of the 16 stores is typical of all stores in the chain. Every store features state-of-the-art energy-efficiency improvements, including:

Building Automated Systems (BAS) for optimized control of lighting, refrigeration and HVAC systems;
Heat reclaim from refrigeration for space heating;
Design features that make refrigeration systems especially efficient in cold weather;
Careful monitoring and electric sub-metering of building systems;
T8 fluorescent lighting with electronic ballasts; and
LED sign illumination.

In addition, through its participation in EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership, since 2005 Hannaford Trucking Company has saved more than 115,000 gallons of diesel fuel and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 8,700 tons.

The 120-year-old company is based in Scarborough, Maine. It is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE:DEG), a global food-retailing leader with $17.3 billion in annual sales.

BetterBricks interviewed Harrison Horning, Hannaford's Energy Manager, about their innovative program.

BetterBricks: Does Hannaford Bros. Co. use a written energy efficiency program or policy? Who is in charge of it?

Harrison Horning: We have a three-year Strategic Energy Plan with strategies and initiatives for reducing energy use and costs. It addresses all of our company operations, except trucking. I'm in charge of it, and update it every September.

BB: What is your heating season? Cooling season? What is the average energy load per square foot of floor space for a sample of your stores?

HH: Our heating season is October-April, but some of our stores need heat year-round (a side-effect of the need for refrigeration). Our cooling season is mainly June-August, but we get some hot and/or humid days any time from April-November. Our average energy load per square foot is around 250 kBtu/sf-yr (which equates to 73 kWh/sf per year - slightly higher than the 68 kWh/sf per year average from a 2005 sample of 100 stores in the Northwest.)

BB: What are the design features that make your refrigeration systems efficient in cold weather?

HH: Two main things: 1) Use of a "floating head pressure" control strategy. This is fairly well understood in the industry, but our climate has given us a reason to get good at it. 2) Innovative approaches to reclaim waste heat from refrigeration that otherwise would be rejected. For example, we use "full-condensing" heat reclaim, where refrigerant condenses in a heating coil and gives up the latent heat of vaporization. We also have had success with ambient sub-cooling.

BB: Please describe the use of waste heat from refrigeration units for space heating. How many stores use this technique? What savings (energy and dollars) are the stores achieving?

HH: We started this program five years ago. Compressors produce hot gas, which must be condensed. By running this hot gas through a heating coil and fully condensing it, we capture 100% of the heat that would have been rejected to the atmosphere. This heat displaces purchased fuel. Almost all of our stores use some form of heat reclaim, although about 20% of them use full condensing.

BB: Please describe the efficient controls you've added to your refrigeration systems, and their impacts.

HH: The main things, as noted above, are floating head pressures and heat reclaim. We also use electronic expansion valves, which allow more sophisticated control at the refrigerated display cases. For example, we can maintain the superheat at relatively low levels, which improves efficiency.

BB: Please describe the Building Automation Systems (BAS) and their importance.

HH: The main function of a Building Automation System is to maintain temperatures. From an energy point of view, BAS also can be useful by turning things off or down when they're not needed. We turn off 50%-75% of our lighting at night. We turn down our refrigeration and HVAC whenever we can. Most BAS projects are directed at upgrading obsolete equipment, to make sure we can optimize these types of energy management functions.

BB: We'd like to ask you a few questions about monitoring. How do you monitor your systems' performance? What do you monitor, and how often? Who reviews the information? Can you share the results of the monitoring? How often do you report the results?

HH: We monitor all stores' monthly energy bills. We also have about 30 stores with hourly power monitoring, including some sub-metering of selected loads, and these systems can "flag" us with an automatic email if something is using too much power. In addition, we have the ability to call up the BAS at every one of our stores from the corporate office. Each store has hundreds of monitoring and control points (new stores typically have 500-800 points, depending on the size of the store) that we can monitor and control from here. We have an Energy Monitoring Coordinator who reviews monthly data and responds to alarm "flags" to determine which stores need attention. She also does a lot of work with lighting schedules to make sure we stay aggressive.

BB: Do you have any kind of energy awareness training for employees?

HH: Our in-store associates are trained for their particular jobs, which includes training on our standard operating procedures. Over the years, we have incorporated the important energy management information into our standard operating procedures, as well as into specific job-training packages, so all employees get some relevant training.

BB: How do you address energy usage in new construction? Do specifications call out requirements to designers and vendors? Do the vendors propose alternatives for your review? We are interested in how you look at the balance between first cost and overall lifecycle cost.

HH: Energy efficiency is part of our thinking for new stores. We have an in-house engineering team that oversees all projects, and produces drawings and specifications for some projects. This gives us more than the typical level of control. Our construction documents are pretty specific about acceptable building and equipment components; we don't leave much up to the vendors. This is especially true for refrigeration. Every few years, we analyze our design standards to improve energy efficiency in various systems and/or components. In general, we use a life-cycle cost approach for evaluating the cost-benefit of various options, balanced with the "gut feel" of some very seasoned people and the ever-present desire of supermarket executives to "build it for less money".

For more information, please contact:

Hannaford Bros. Co.
Harrison Horning
Energy Manager
Hannaford Bros. Co.
Tel: (207) 885-2787
Fax: (207) 885-3197
www.hannaford.com

Utility Locator

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:07:16 +0000

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Efficient Grocery Stores Save Money

admin — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:52:53 +0000

When it comes to energy use, grocery stores have traditionally been the hungriest of energy hogs. How else can you chill the ice cream, bake the bread and light the shopping aisles, you ask? Actually, a growing number of newly constructed supermarkets are emerging leaner and more efficient than ever before.

In Meadville, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, brothers Garth and Bob Valesky recently received an Energy Star award and a commendation from Governor Ed Rendell for renovating Valesky's Market. The 28,000 square foot store's new high-performance refrigeration units, compressors and lighting mean Valesky's now consumes about as much energy as the average-sized single family home. "As independent business owners, we have always been very motivated to reduce our costs," Garth Valesky told the Associated Press recently. "We have been able to take advantage of energy-saving improvements offered by new technology."

Janesville, Wisconsin's Pick 'n Save store also recently took on the issue of refrigeration, which accounts for more than 60% of an average grocery store's energy use. Pick 'n Save invested just under $12,000 to install controls on the condensation-controlling heaters that control condensation on refrigerated display cases. The one-time expense is expected to reap annual savings of approximately $16,000 per year.

And it isn't just the small stores waking up to the opportunity for significant energy savings. North Carolina-based Lowes Foods recently received the Energy Star designation (given to buildings that are among the nation's top 25% for energy performance) after retrofitting five of its stores. Measures included new heating and cooling systems, refrigeration units, and control systems. The conservation measures will help Lowes foods save enough to power 444 homes for one year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 10,000 tons each year. No wonder the company has pledged to build its future new stores according to Energy Star criteria, using approximately half the power of its un-renovated older stores.

These investments do more than save money. They also make for better shopping environments. At Vic's Market in Sacramento, California, for example, new freezer units not only save about $1,600 annually, but also have helped sales by eliminating temperature fluctuations within the store. "People complained that it was too cold in the freezer aisle before," explains Vic D'Stefani, the owner. "With the new equipment they shop longer." The store's initial investment of about $145,000 will be recouped in just three years thanks to annual utility-bill savings of $48,000.

New Seasons Markets

admin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:21:21 +0000

When it comes to energy use, grocery stores have traditionally been the hungriest of energy hogs. How else can you chill the ice cream, bake the bread and light the shopping aisles? But a growing number of new and renovated supermarkets are emerging leaner and more efficient than ever before.

In Portland, the local grocery chain New Seasons Markets has found success with customers and employees alike by building stores that are healthier and more pleasant to be inside, and technologically advanced to use less energy.

"One of our core values at New Seasons Market is building sustainability throughout our company," says president Lisa Sedlar. "We try to incorporate as many sustainable building materials as we can."

Whenever possible, the company prefers to renovate existing buildings instead of using all the resources necessary for a new structure. New Seasons' Seven Corners store in Portland was transformed from a decrepit old grocery store on the same site. "We had to do some gymnastics to be able to keep it," recalls Susan Rudloff of Richard Brown Architects, the store's designer. The company's Cedar Hills store in Beaverton was actually renovated from what had been a skating rink. "You can still see the curve of the old rink on the floor. People have fun with it. And that's very intentional."

Inside, New Seasons is immediately distinct from familiar grocery store chains. Skylights and exterior windows fill the store with natural light, which studies show encourages shoppers to linger because it's a more pleasant, healthful environment.

To minimize energy usage, New Seasons stores are outfitted with heat recovery systems that use excess heat from refrigeration systems. Light fixtures are tied to photo sensors that shut off the lights when skylights are providing enough illumination.

The Seven Corners store and some others in the New Seasons chain also feature a creative, people-friendly way to minimize the wasted energy of constantly opening and closing doors (which make costlier harder to cool in summer and warm in winter). At the front of the store is a vestibule where fresh flowers and produce are sold, helping to provide not just a smart transition that buffers the interior environment of the store, but also to better integrate the building with the surrounding community.

New Seasons has also been aggressive and artful in treating rainwater. "Our Arbor Lodge store has a green roof and a bioswale that helps keep millions of gallons of rainwater from entering our sewer system," Sedlar continues. "Our bioswales include a sculptural element designed by a local artist which not only draws attention to the issue of rainwater management, but also builds community by featuring a local artist. We often hear our customers talking about our bioswale artwork."

Lamb's Markets

admin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:20:48 +0000

Lamb's Markets tuned up the refrigeration equipment in its Lamb's Palisades Market in Lake Oswego, Oregon and immediately cut its electricity bill 9%.

The tune-up, proposed and coordinated by BetterBricks' refrigeration consultant, also has reduced the number of unplanned service calls, improving the reliability of the system.

Lamb's Markets, a six-store chain in the Portland metropolitan area, already was energy-savvy. "We'd been monitoring our power usage for years," notes Tanney Staffenson, Director of Operations. "We were aware that refrigeration was our largest energy user. Our employees do preventive maintenance; we ensure that cooler doors are closed, change filters regularly, stack the cases properly, and monitor temperatures. And our refrigeration contractor, Key Mechanical, does scheduled maintenance."

Yet, BetterBricks found that Lamb's could do more by maximizing the efficiency of their refrigeration equipment. "Coolers and freezers account for more than half of electricity use in grocery stores," says the Grocery Market Manager for BetterBricks. "We've found that what we call 'tune-ups' can cut that dramatically."

BetterBricks approached Staffenson about this "tune-up" approach.

"BetterBricks' analysis went in a whole new direction for us," Staffenson says. "Modifying compressor head pressure never has been brought to us before. There are a lot of consultants out there, but this is the first that's come to me with graphs and data and a workable idea. I was skeptical at first, but Key Mechanical said they thought it could work."

Staffenson picked Lamb's Palisades Market in Lake Oswego, which has the newest refrigeration equipment in the chain, to test the tune-up concept. BetterBricks coordinated the project with Key Mechanical; the refrigeration consultant, with over 20 years of refrigeration and energy management experience in the Northwest, served as coach.

Key Mechanical had maintained the equipment well. "But unfortunately, we've learned that the adjustments we've made over the years have not focused on performance from an energy point of view," says Dan Wilson, Service Manager for Key Mechanical.

The Tune-up
The team took a three-step approach to review and optimize the setup of the refrigeration system. The process took about eight hours, with no effect on store sales.

1. Reset the holdback valves - The team determined the lowest allowable refrigerant pressure in the condenser, to minimize energy use, while maintaining system reliability. Lower pressure is better from an energy standpoint, but too low a setting can lead to performance glitches, such as the formation of vapor bubbles in the liquid line. Condenser fan sequencing also was checked and reset as part of the first step.

2. Measure and set the superheat for each refrigerated case -Using actual temperature measurements to adjust the superheat of the refrigerant as it exits the evaporator coils improves the effectiveness of heat transfer in the coils, which leads to a reduction in compressor runtime.

3. Check suction pressures and ease the setpoint upwards on circuits that are operating at a lower pressure than they need to - Each psi increase in suction pressure cuts compressor energy use by approximately 2%.

Results
Since the tune-up, BetterBricks and Staffenson have monitored building energy use with a datalogger and reviewed utility bills. This has revealed a measurable 9% reduction in overall building electricity use.

"This 'tune-up' has been much more successful than I'd thought; it already has saved us about $800 per month," Staffenson says. "Even with paying for the tune-up, we're money ahead. That's just for tuning up equipment." Wilson estimates that other efficiency opportunities on the BetterBricks road map can cut refrigeration power bills by 10-20% or more, and improve reliability. Staffenson already is studying the list to identify his next upgrades.

"BetterBricks called this a 'tune-up'," Staffenson says. "For me a 'tune-up' is maintaining the status quo, as in a car. But with this, they changed the setting and production levels, and added capacity and fuel efficiency. So, I'd call it 'increased efficiency'. It saved us money without any compromise in quality."

Wilson and Staffenson are training their employees in the new approaches.

Staffenson adds that, "Everybody should look at this. I'm chair of the board for Thriftway stores in Oregon, Washington and California. I'll definitely share this information with them."