GROCERS SUCH AS ALBERTSONS ARE FINDING WAYS TO REDUCE THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF ENERGY CONSUMED BY SUPERMARKETS.
The pace of advancements in energy efficiency in grocery has swiftly sped up in recent years, thanks to reduced prices on some of the infrastructure, growing consumer demand and tax incentives.
“It’s a really exciting time,” said Andy Harig, VP of tax, sustainability and policy development for FMI The Food Industry Association. “What we’ve seen in the last five to 10 years is the equivalent of the last 30 years.”
Last year alone at Albertsons, the retailer implemented more than 850 energy-efficiency projects across its more than 2,200 stores under multiple banners, Suzanne Long, the company’s chief sustainability and transformation officer, said in an email interview with WGB. Those projects included installing LED lighting and doors on refrigerated cases.
“Installing doors on refrigerated cases not only reduces energy use, but also helps to keep the temperature of our stores more comfortable and consistent,” Long said. “We are also actively exploring opportunities in other areas, such as frozen cases, HVAC systems and building-management systems.”
Albertsons said it has a “growing portfolio” of markets that use solar energy, generating about 20% of the power needed to run an entire store. The grocer has two wind turbines in Tracy, California, that power a distribution center there.
It likely comes as little surprise that supermarkets are big energy-users. The average grocery store uses about 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 50 cubic feet of natural gas per square foot per year, for an average annual energy cost of more than $4 per square foot, according to data from the federal Energy Star program.
Refrigeration and lighting account for more than 50% of total energy use in the average supermarket, Energy Star said.
“Food retail is pretty energy intensive,” Harig said. “What has changed in the last decade is the pace of innovation and tech growth that has allowed you to move your efforts ahead at a quicker pace than previously.”
Also, data collection has become simplified, so grocers can better track their energy use over time, he said.
As grocers remodel their stores, they’re finding the price of energy-efficient options are decreasing.
Food retailers are increasingly shifting to more-efficient refrigerators, moving away from dangerous hydrofluorocarbons to more environmentally friendly ammonia-based cooling systems. And LED lighting has become more affordable.
Renewable energy sources, such as solar power, remain a big investment—especially for smaller grocers, Harig noted.
“The renewables are still a little bit more expensive,” he said. “It still takes a while to get your money out of it.”
It can be a challenge for food retailers, however, to know whether—and when—to invest in energy-efficiency projects.
“You don’t want to invest today and then 18 months later, there’s a major leap forward,” Harig said. “It’s moving so quickly these days and the efficiencies are coming so fast.”
Retailers must do their due diligence to ensure that a potential solution will live up to its promises and is not a “greenwashing situation,” he said, that sounds better than it actually performs.
The next big advancements in energy efficiency will likely come from the field of artificial intelligence, he said. AI data will help grocery store systems “learn” how to become more efficient, reducing labor spent crunching that data.
Albertsons said it will continue focusing on its store-level energy efficiency, using the latest technology to make its buildings smarter.
“We believe that great food isn’t possible without a healthy planet,” Long said. “There are a lot of opportunities for innovation in this space, and we are excited to continue to pilot and explore a variety of solutions.”
Also possible for the industry’s future? Grocers will create their own renewable energy via store-level microgrids. And if a supermarket produces more energy than it needs, it could potentially sell it off.
“Some people will get to a point where they could make that a profit center, to sell off excess energy,” Harig said. “It’s a really exciting time for the industry.”
You May Also Like