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VILLAGE GROCER
Store designed with energy efficiency in mind

GROCER:
Village Grocer

LOCATION:
Markham

FLOOR AREA:
615 m²

RETAIL AREA
557 m²

ANNUAL ELECTRICITY BILL:
$50,000-$70,000

There are no blueprints yet, but Evan MacDonald already knows that his new store will be designed with energy efficiency in mind. And that he’ll pay far less for electricity than he does now.

It will have a ventilation system with heat recovery to recycle the heat (or cool air in summer) from exhausted air. And special motors on the fans in his refrigeration units – called electronically commutated motors (ECMs) – will cut the amount of electricity used by conventional refrigerator fans by one-half.

Baking accounts for 33 per cent of Village Grocer’s total electricity bill. It is one activity that can be scheduled for certain hours of the day as a way of lowering a store’s monthly electricity peak and avoiding hours when electricity prices are high.

It may sound futuristic, but when your electricity costs range from $4,000 to $6,000 per month, as Evan’s do, you soon realize that you need to plan smart in order to keep your electricity costs in check.

“Electricity used to be near the bottom of my list of priorities,” says Evan. “But now that I know I will probably have to install an interval meter in my new store, electricity has jumped up the list to number two. I’m trying to educate myself now because I want to use 50 per cent less energy in my new store. Energy efficiency will be a focal point of the new place.”

While he’s busy making plans for his new venture, Evan has already started to make his Markham store more energy efficient – starting with the lights.

His immediate plan is to:
• Invest $650 to replace all the 50-watt incandescent track lighting in his store with 15-watt compact fluorescent lights
Annual savings: $2,200

• Spend $700 for daylight sensors that flick lights on only when the outside light is dim.
Annual savings: $990

The bakery area might be another part of Evan’s energy efficiency plan. Because baking is a significant part of his business, he operates the ovens round the clock. Evan could practice load shifting* – by baking only at night and early in the morning when electricity prices tend to be lower –

but he’s still deciding how feasible that option is. For now, he’s got more immediate plans. By installing a $12,300 heat recovery system that transfers heat from the refrigerator’s compressors to the store’s hot water tanks, he can reduce the amount of natural gas that’s required to do the same job and save $4,700 a year – a pay-back of 2.6 years on his investment.

"As a businessman, I need to know what energy efficiency costs, how much I will save and what the pay-back is. There’s a lot at stake; that’s why you need to get informed and plan accordingly.”