Reducing stores’ environmental impact
Reducing stores’ environmental impact
Thrifty Foods
Since beginning a partnership with BC Hydro in 2005, Thrifty Foods has implemented a wide range of Power Smart projects across many of its stores. These measures have improved energy efficiency and reduced electricity costs. They include:
- Retrofitting 10 stores with an LED and T5 lighting package that, combined, is expected to reduce electricity consumption by almost 2.8 million kWhs annually.
- Introducing pull-down covers at 13 locations to reduce cool air escaping from refrigerated areas when stores are closed. This reduces power demand to cool the refrigerated areas and warm the surrounding non-refrigerated areas of the stores. This initiative is projected to decrease electricity consumption across the 13 stores by almost 500,000 kWhs annually.
- Installing heat recovery systems in seven locations. These systems transfer waste heat from the refrigeration system to warm other areas of the stores. Combined, these systems are expected to result in energy savings of approximately 1.4 million kWhs annually.
- Installing enhanced refrigerant leak detection systems at 15 stores. Due to the nature of this initiative, it will take time to quantify the refrigerant leak reduction and cost saving associated with this project.
- Establishing a committee to review the retail operations' waste management practices and identify opportunities to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill and enhance the operations' recycling and organics waste diversion programs.
In 2008, when designing the Suter Brook Village store in Port Moody to be energy efficient from the ground up, Thrifty Foods became involved in BC Hydro's New Construction Program. Through this collaboration, the store was built to include the energy conservation features mentioned above as well as fully integrated refrigeration and HVAC systems, energy efficient fans in the refrigerated cases, energy efficient lighting throughout the store and LED lighting wherever practical. Today, this store uses 15% to 30% less energy than a conventional Thrifty Foods store.
