Dominion® stores in Newfoundland and Labrador team up with takeCHARGE to reduce their electricity consumption.
Dominion® stores in Newfoundland and Labrador is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) – Canada’s largest retailer. Reducing energy consumption is one way that the company strives to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. Loblaw recently joined forces with takeCHARGE, the energy efficiency partnership between Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, to improve the energy efficiency of its Dominion® stores across the island. In 2013 alone, Loblaw reduced its comparable store energy consumption by three per cent nationally.
“Given our size and scale across the country, Loblaw is constantly reviewing energy efficiency improvements at the local, provincial and national levels. Participating in the takeCHARGE programs makes sense for our Dominion® stores, both environmentally and economically,” says Mark Schembri, Vice President, Store Maintenance, Loblaw Companies Limited. Dominion® stores were one of the first participants in the new takeCHARGE Business Efficiency Program. The program provides advice and funding to help businesses make energy efficient upgrades to their operations. “With the support of the takeCHARGE incentive programs, we have implemented lighting and refrigeration upgrades in our Dominion® stores in Newfoundland and Labrador. This has helped us to reduce our operating costs, but more importantly, achieve our environmental sustainability targets, which we believe is an important part of solidifying Loblaw’s leadership position as a responsible retailer in Canada,” says Schembri.
Lighting can be one of the easiest and most cost effective upgrades to make. Standard light fixtures were replaced with high performance fluorescent technology in six Dominion® store locations. The new high bay fluorescent lights installed will use 36 per cent less energy. High bay fluorescent lights offer a number of additional benefits including better light quality with improved colour rendering. The quality of light is extremely important for retailers. Significant upgrades were also made to the refrigeration equipment in two Dominion® store locations. On average refrigeration makes up 52 per cent of a food retailer’s energy costs. Doors were added to open dairy and frozen refrigeration cases. These new units will use 66 per cent less energy. The addition of doors means less cold air escapes into the store, resulting in less electricity use for refrigeration and space heating. Like most energy efficiency upgrades, the benefits of this new refrigeration equipment go far beyond energy savings. The doors also help reduce food spoilage and create a more comfortable shopping environment for customers.
These upgrades combined, will enable local Dominion® stores in Newfoundland and Labrador to save enough energy annually to power approximately 100 electrically heated homes in the province for an entire year. Loblaw has committed to reduce its total energy consumption by an additional three per cent in existing corporate stores by the end of 2014. The lighting and refrigeration upgrades in its Dominion® stores will make a significant contribution to their goal, while providing savings to their bottom line.