Groceries and Markets –
Food sales facilities rank second nationally in commercial building energy intensity (energy used per square foot per year) with an energy intensity of 200,000 Btuh per square foot. The average for all commercial buildings is 90,000 Btuh per square foot. Over 90% of food service buildings have commercial refrigeration equipment, and approximately 40% have food preparation equipment.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency, on average 51% of foodservice energy is expended for refrigeration, 16% for lighting, and 22% for HVAC. Improving Operations and Maintenance first, followed by attention to these main areas of energy expenditure may yield dramatic results.
Energy Savings on Margin –
Very simply put, assuming the industry margin averages approximately 2.5%, $250 a week in energy savings is equivalent to selling $10,000 per week of additional groceries!
50% Energy Savings Possible –
A key document available from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) outlines procedures for achieving 50% energy savings over the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers) Standard 90.1-2004. The Document is entitled:
Technical Support Document: Development
of the Advanced Energy Design Guide for
Grocery Stores—50% Energy Savings
E.T. Hale, D.L. Macumber, N.L. Long, B.T. Griffith, K.S. Benne, S.D. Pless, and P.A. Torcellini, September 2008
The document is available in PDF form CLICK HERE
Additional Resource –
The Wisconsin Focus on Energy program has a very informative website available CLICK HERE