Appliances

Houston -- Ikea on Monday officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in Houston. The installation, when combined with Ikea solar projects atop stores in Frisco and Round Rock, will make the home furnishings retailer the state’s largest solar owner.

Home Depot has announced the expansion of its major appliance brands by adding Whirlpool, Electrolux and Frigidaire in a limited number of stores and on Homedepot.com.

The appliances will be available through the company's Depot Direct delivery network and available to be ordered in all U.S. stores. Depot Direct includes more than 3,000 appliances delivered and installed to the customer's home within one to five days of purchase. Appliance purchases through Depot Direct include free delivery and haul-away.

New York -- Energy cost savings, government/utility incentives and rebates, and enhanced brand or public image ranked as the top drivers of energy-efficiency decision-making in the United States and Canada, according to a global survey of building owners and operators and facility managers by Johnson Controls.

New York -- Brookshire Brothers has launched a facility-wide lighting update, including in-store, parking lot, exterior signage and refrigerated case fixtures.

Using a combination of new linear fluorescent lighting and LED technologies -- from GE Lighting, East Cleveland, Ohio -- Brookshire will, once all of its stores have been completed, reduce its annual operating costs more than $235,000.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Jenn-Air, maker of luxury appliances, has launched a new blog to help consumers with their culinary, design and lifestyle needs.

Orlando, Fla. -- Ikea said Wednesday that it has officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in Orlando, Fla.

The 120,900-sq.-ft. PV array consists of a 967-kW system, built with 4,115 panels. The retailer said the program will produce approximately 1,421,500 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,080 tons of carbon dioxide, eliminating the emissions of 192 cars or powering 122 homes yearly.

Ottawa, Ontario -- Sears Canada has opened its largest Sears Home store at Pinecrest Shopping Center. The store will occupy 78,0000 sq. ft. and feature an expanded selection of furniture as well as the largest major appliance and mattress inventory of any Sears location.

"The opening of the Sears Home store at Pinecrest is another in a series of transformational milestones for Sears Canada," said Calvin McDonald, president and CEO, Sears Canada.

Retailers and other building owners are caught between two powerful and conflicting forces: the need to lower energy and equipment costs, and the need to meet or exceed outdoor air ventilation regulations for the health and comfort of customers and employees alike. Indeed, studies have proven that outdoor air ventilation creates a healthier work environment. However, as outdoor air rates increase, so does the size, cost and operating expense of HVAC systems.

By Stephen J. Pargeter, [email protected]

TORONTO — Sears Canada announced that on May 25 it will unveil its new, refreshed store concept in four Ontario locations: Barrie, Belleville, Newmarket and at the Lime Ridge mall in Hamilton. These stores reflect the Company's plans to transform the Sears shopping experience in Canada.