Grocery and Convenience

Keeping food cold and illuminating shopping aisles are prerequisites for a grocery or convenience store – and they require a lot of energy. Investing in energy efficiency can not only reduce operating costs, but can increase visibility, reduce food spoilage, and create a more pleasant shopping environment. Ultimately, these improvements translate to higher profits.

Service Station Retrofits Funding Opportunity Notice

FON-006-2022

For a limited time, Efficiency Maine is seeking applications for energy upgrades in Maine’s service stations. Service stations with retail operations in Maine may apply for this opportunity. Eligible measures include heat pump retrofits, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, energy recovery ventilators (ERVs), interior and exterior LED lighting, and refrigeration measures. Click here for more information.

 

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

An Efficiency Maine study of energy used by Maine grocery stores found improvements in heating, cooling, and ventilation to be the biggest energy saving opportunity. Tuning existing HVAC equipment to better suit the size of a facility’s current load can lead to significant savings. Furthermore, adding controls (e.g. burner controls, boiler economizers, boiler resets, oxygen-trim
controls, programmable thermostats) can also improve the efficiency of existing systems. When installing, renovating, or replacing HVAC equipment (e.g. boilers, furnaces, roof-top units), consider upgrading to high-efficiency models. Smaller stores and spaces may benefit from a room-by-room targeted heating and cooling system like ductless heat pumps.

Efficiency Maine offers incentives for:

• HVAC Controls
• Ductless Heat Pumps
• Boilers and Furnaces
• Custom energy saving opportunities

Learn more.

Lighting

That same Efficiency Maine analysis found significant energy saving potential in both indoor and outdoor lighting. High- efficiency fixtures and lighting controls can enhance store aesthetics while decreasing cost. Long-life LEDs can reduce the maintenance requirements associated with lighting replacements. Overhead lighting in stores, stock rooms, and warehouses can be replaced with LEDs to decrease electricity use. In addition, occupancy and daylight sensors in low-traffic areas (e.g. stock rooms, warehouses, back offices) help avoid unnecessary lighting costs by tailoring lighting output to match the needs of the space. Replacing refrigerator case lighting with LEDs can also improve product visibility and customer experience while reducing energy use. There are savings to be had with outdoor lighting, as well. Upgrading parking-lot lights to LEDs improves visibility and safety while reducing electricity costs.

Efficiency Maine offers incentives for interior and exterior high-efficiency lighting solutions including:

• Indoor Lighting
• Outdoor Lighting
• Lighting Controls
• LED case lighting

Learn more.

Refrigeration

Upgrading to high-efficiency display coolers can be a big energy savings for grocery and convenience stores. If replacing equipment is not a viable option, custom add-ons and efficient component retrofits can improve the performance of existing refrigeration systems.

Plug Loads

Administrative offices, break rooms, and check out aisles use equipment that can have a big electrical draw, even when not in use. Consider purchasing ENERGY STAR®-certified equipment when next updating office equipment, which is 30-75% more efficient than standard equipment. There are also resources to help you identify energy demands of other plug loads, some of which may be able to be powered down during off-hours.

Commercial Kitchen

Grocery kitchens can be a major source of energy consumption. Reduce kitchen energy costs by upgrading to high-efficiency cooking equipment.

Efficiency Maine offers incentives for:

• Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation

Learn more.

Water Heating

Grocery and convenience stores can reduce water heating costs by upgrading to high-efficiency water heating systems and choosing a system that meets the needs of specific spaces.

Efficiency Maine offers incentives for:

• Heat Pump Water Heaters

Learn more.

Custom Solutions

Don’t see your energy solution listed above? Efficiency Maine also offers incentives for customized, site-specific energy solutions, including integrated HVAC controls, building envelope upgrades, combined heat and power installations, and more. Click here for more information on the Custom Program.

Custom Case Study: Hannaford Bros Co.

In an effort to reduce the operating costs associated with its extensive refrigeration systems, Hannaford Bros Co. initiated a significant energy efficiency retrofit initiative in 2015: the company proposed installing energy-saving doors and high- efficiency lighting in refrigerated beer and dairy cases at 11 stores across the state. The existing refrigeration cases represented a significant savings opportunity; they were 12-foot long open-air displays, equipped with standard T-8 lighting. With the help of Efficiency Maine, Hannaford was able to install six 2-foot doors along each 12-foot stretch, as well as replace the old lighting with LEDs. In addition to electric energy savings associated with reduced refrigeration and lighting loads, Hannaford saw thermal savings resulting from reduced space heating requirements.

• Project cost: $357,728
• Efficiency Maine incentive: $120,412
• Annual energy savings: 586,176 kWh and 6,140 MMBtu
• Return on investment: 1.32 with incentive, 1.99 without incentive

Get Started

• Ready to upgrade your facility with high-efficiency equipment? Work with an Efficiency Maine Qualified Partner in order to be eligible for these incentives.
• Click here to find a Qualified Partner working near you. If you work with a contractor that is not yet a Qualified Partner, urge your contractor to find out more information here.

Additional Information and Resources

• Energy Savings Tips for Small Businesses: Grocery and Convenience Stores. Click here for information from ENERGY STAR.