Environmental investments win payback for convenience stores

Convenience and forecourt retailers can achieve savings and quick wins from environmental investments, according to two presenters speaking at the Insight/NACS Global Convenience Benchmarks event in Dublin last month (March).

Bob Reid, director of development and construction at Pioneer Petroleum, a chain of 150 petrol/c-stores in Canada, told delegates how his business is limiting and controlling the rising cost of utilities.

Geoff Wheeler, a business development consultant at Aston Crest, showed how two forecourt retailers have invested relatively small sums in their operations but were reaping the benefits.

Reid told delegates limiting and controlling utilities had helped offset the squeeze on his business from declining tobacco sales, higher operational costs of fresh foods and the rising price of point-of-sale.

Reid said the use of LED light fixtures on forecourts could bring significant savings, despite the initial expense and cost of installation.

Reid said the use of LEDS on Pioneer forecourt canopies had resulted in an 85% energy saving and the lighting was directional too.

Other energy saving initiatives included the use of motion sensors to control temperature settings in-store, hot water on demand and investing in maintenance programmes for heating and ventilation systems.

Reid advised retailers to tell staff what to look out for rather than explain the basis for the technology. And he recommended retailers “build automation into store systems to control costs” instead of allowing staff to manage them.

Energy management systems to control temperature etc can be monitored via pcs, he said, and can result in 9-14% savings. They can also include an override function but will revert back to an automated system. Wheeler advised retailers seek to renegotiate their energy supply as a first point of call. He went on to show how Tesco had invested in an energy reduction programme and how independent forecourt retailers have reduced their energy bills.

Wheeler told delegates Tesco had a number of aims for the project and it had to be:

• Self-financing
• Not disruptive to operations
• Supportive of its environmental ethos
• Beneficial for customers and staff
• Rapidly deployed
• Require minimum resources
• Meet all regulations
• And proven

The programme was controlled and monitored centrally via an online web monitoring system. The lighting and heating control was trialed in 411 stores for 12 months. As a result, Tesco achieved a 27% saving on energy usage, said Wheeler. Other benefits included £3,600 savings per year per store, no detrimental effects, and a reduction in carbon footprint and payback within two years.

The independent forecourt case studies showed how canopy lighting control achieved significant savings.

“You can spend a little and get great returns,” said Wheeler. “Lighting controls are not difficult to install.”

Summing up Wheeler advised delegates tailor solutions to solve problems, keep control, be aware of changes in technology, share experiences but act now.