Energy Efficiency FAQs
Wondering how to lower energy costs? You're not alone.
1. What is energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency refers to products or systems using less energy to do the same or better job than conventional products or systems. Energy efficiency saves energy, saves money on utility bills, and reduces the demand for electricity.
2. Why should I care about energy efficiency?
Energy demands in the grocery industry are high and energy costs continue to rise. By improving the energy efficiency of your equipment and/or your building, you can lower your overhead. This strengthens profit margins by enabling you to increase profits without increasing sales. And high-quality, efficient lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation can boost sales by improving the visual appeal of your products and creating a more comfortable environment for your customers. Energy efficiency is an investment that pays for itself in energy savings and then continues to strengthen your bottom line for years to come.
3. Are there some easy and inexpensive things I can do to lower my electric bills with energy efficiency?
Absolutely. While the greatest savings can be found by looking at your whole facility, there are simple ways to reduce energy on a daily basis such as:
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Turn off lights in unoccupied areas, (walk-in refrigerators, storage and break rooms) or install occupancy sensors to do the job automatically.
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Make sure the building’s exterior doors and windows have tight seals and keep them closed when running your air-conditioning system.
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Install ENERGY STAR® qualified programmable thermostats and locking covers to prevent tampering.
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Create a start-up and shut-down schedule for equipment such as lights, break-room coffee machines, and office equipment.
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Maintain refrigerator door seals, clean condenser coils monthly, and defrost appropriately.
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Check equipment regularly (evaporative coolers, fans, pumps, etc.) for proper operation and maintenance needs.
4. In today's economy, is it a good idea to make efficiency improvements?
Putting money into improving your business' energy efficiency is one of the safest investments you can make. Businesses that worked with Efficiency Vermont to make energy-saving investments in 2008 are earning a 50% average rate of return from those investments. When sales are dropping or even leveling, it makes financial sense to reduce operating costs like utility bills. And unlike many actions designed to increase revenue, such as expanding business hours or services, efficiency improvements need not come with recurring expenses like increased payroll. Efficiency upgrades can provide a lasting return on a one-time investment.
In any economy, the most cost-effective moments to invest in new energy-efficient equipment are when new construction or renovations are being planned and when it’s time to replace failing equipment. In stores with long operating hours, cost-effective opportunities to optimize the efficiency of existing equipment may be found at any time.
5. I’m ready to invest in energy efficiency improvements, but I don’t know which improvements make the most sense. What are the first things I should consider to save energy and money?
Vermont grocery stores and supermarket chains are successfully lowering operating costs by making improvements to the following equipment in their stores:
- Refrigeration – Refrigeration can account for at least half of the energy used by a grocery store. Today’s efficient technologies include improvements to door heater controls, cooler doors, fan motors and motor controls, display case covers, and compressors. An outdoor-air economizer reduces run times by bringing cold, outdoor air into a walk-in cooler. If you have a refrigeration rack system, your refrigeration contractor can help you determine which of many approaches to take to ensure that the system is running efficiently.
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Lighting – Lighting contributes significantly to a grocery store’s electricity costs. For overhead lighting, a good first step is to replace T12 fluorescent lights with energy-saving T5s or High Performance T8s. These energy-saving technologies can also be a good substitute for metal halide high-bay lights. If your store has incandescent track lighting to highlight products, swap that out for a lower-wattage lighting system, such as halogen infrared or ceramic metal halide track lighting, which will maintain a high-quality spotlight on your products.
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Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning (HVAC) – Often, great savings can be found simply by seeing that controls for existing HVAC equipment are appropriately set to support a particular store’s energy demands. HVAC contractors can make control setting a part of an annual service contract.
6. How much will it cost me to make energy efficiency improvements?
Your up-front costs will depend on what work you want to have done. The rate of return on your investment also will vary with the kind of upgrade you decide to make. Your contractors and Efficiency Vermont can help you determine the most cost-effective actions for your budget. Financial incentives, financing options, and tax credits exist that can lower your up-front costs and enable your investment to pay for itself in a shorter period of time.
7. How much will energy efficiency improvements save me?
This depends on what actions you take. Many efficiency improvements can save you hundreds to thousands of dollars each year. In addition to lowering energy costs, energy-efficient upgrades can lower equipment and lighting maintenance costs, improve indoor air quality, and make a store more comfortable and appealing for customers and staff year-round.
8. I do some on-site food prep at my store. Are there ways that I can save energy in this area of my store?
Yes. Energy demands in food-service facilities are roughly 2.5 times more per square foot than in most commercial buildings. Depending upon the actions taken and the technologies involved, the total savings potential from more efficient food-service equipment can be from 10 to 30 percent. Here are some tips:
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Energy-efficient equipment for food preparation, refrigeration, dishwashing and ventilation can significantly reduce energy use and costs.
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Turn off exhaust hoods when not needed.
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If you have a wall canopy exhaust system with fan controls, push your appliances as far back against the wall as possible. By moving appliances back 12 inches under a 10-foot hood system, you can save approximately $50 annually.
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Install a low-flow pre-rinse dishwashing spray valve and you’ll save hundreds annually for each hour of daily spray time.
9. Quality lighting is a must for my product display. Can I count on the quality of energy-efficient lighting?
Yes. Top-quality, energy-saving lighting exists for both elements of display lighting: Spot lamps/floods and overhead lighting. Energy-efficient lighting not only can enhance the appeal of produce and packaging, but also can create aesthetically-pleasing aisles and checkout stations, to make a store a comfortable place to shop and work. High-quality LED lighting also is available. LED performance can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so see question #11 to find out how to identify LEDs that you can depend on for great energy savings, long-life, and excellent illumination.
10. I’m sold on the benefits of upgrading to energy-efficient lights. Can you give me some specifics about the kinds of lights most suited to store use?
Here are a few recommendations:
- Floods/spot lamps – Instead of standard halogen floods, use newer energy-saving halogens or ceramic metal halide lighting.
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Overhead lighting - Replace T12 fluorescent tube lighting with energy-efficient T5s or High Performance T8s. These energy-saving technologies can also be a good substitute for metal halide high-bay lights.
11. I have been hearing a lot about LED lighting. What are some specific uses for LEDs in my store and what are the benefits?
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have a variety of applications, including recessed lighting, retail spot-lighting, desk lamps, under-cabinet lights, and some outdoor fixtures. LEDs are also ideal for refrigerated cases because they give off very little heat, minimize glare, and provide improved color uniformity over fluorescent tubes. Quality LEDs use as much as 85% less energy and can last as much as 50 times longer than incandescents. Because the LED is an emerging technology, its performance can vary greatly from one manufacturer to another. To identify high-quality LED equipment eligible for Efficiency Vermont incentives, visit the LED Lighting page.
12. Is there a particularly good time of year to make upgrades?
Anytime is a good time to invest in cost-effective upgrades, but some technologies save energy by taking advantage of weather conditions. So, if you’re planning to install equipment that uses such technology, it’s worth doing so by a specific time of year. For example, it makes sense to have the following equipment installed in time for the cold, dry days of winter: 1) Outside-air economizers, which lower energy use by bringing cold, outdoor air into walk-in coolers; 2) Refrigeration-door heater controls, which limit operation of heaters to periods of high relative humidity.