Whole Foods in Energy-Saving Program

SAN FRANCISCO – Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas, is partnering with EnergySmart Jobs and PECI here to achieve savings through high-efficiency refrigeration retrofits at two locations in Northern California.

EnergySmart Jobs and PECI are partnering with Whole Foods – Franklin and Whole Foods – Palo Alto to quantify the amount of energy that each individual store is saving.

The two stores will each be installing new energy management systems (EMS), programmed to float head and suction pressure to improve the refrigeration system efficiency. Rebates from EnergySmart Jobs cover a portion of the upfront investment costs. Data loggers installed at several of these Whole Foods locations will monitor the amount of energy used by the refrigeration system condenser and compressor fans, offering a before-and-after picture.

“Whole Foods Market has been fortunate to work with PECI for several years in our Northern California region, and significant energy efficiency improvements have been made, resulting in substantial cost savings as well,” said Kathy Loftus, global leader of sustainable engineering at Whole Foods, in a statement. “When the opportunity to participate in the EnergySmart Jobs program came up, we enthusiastically agreed, as it not only helps grow the local economy, but also helps us prove the benefits of these improvements across our company and the industry.”