Conserve energy, save money

Retail companies spend a total of nearly $20 billion on energy annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Here are tips from Sam Khalilieh, senior VP, engineering, WD Partners, Columbus, Ohio, on how retailers can increase the energy efficiency of their stores:

Perform regular maintenance. 

Without a doubt, this is your best investment. Preventive maintenance will catch issues before they become expensive and snowball into other repairs. Change HVAC filters regularly, recharge low refrigerant, clean the condenser and evaporator coils. Replace leaky door gaskets and insulate bare suction lines.

Check the economizer. 

The economizer uses cool outside air (when available) to reduce the need for mechanically cooled air. An economizer stuck in the fully open position can add as much as 50% to a building’s energy bill by allowing in unconditioned air.

Check current temperature settings and adjust to manufacturer’s recommendations as necessary. (Make sure that your thermometer is accurate.) Check the defrost settings to prevent a cycle from running longer than needed. A typical cycle is 15 minutes, four times daily.

Replace overhead T12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with T8 fluorescent lamps, and electronic ballasts with programmed start. This will reduce lighting energy use by 20%.

Install occupancy sensors in restrooms, storage areas, break rooms and walk-in refrigerators. This will save an average of 40% of lighting energy. Make sure time clock and photocell lighting controllers are working properly and set correctly. Turn exterior lighting off during the day.

Use photo luminescent exit signs, which do not require any electrical wiring or power. The signs use ambient lighting to charge the face of the sign. These fixtures can also help you achieve LEED credits.

Consider installing skylights with daylight controls. Skylights not only reduce lighting energy use, but also make the store seem more spacious. Daylighting strategies can save 50% or more on lighting energy.

Replace lamps when they reach 70% of their expected life, rather than on an as-needed basis. This can reduce lighting maintenance costs by 25%. Group relamping is actually cheaper than spot relamping.

Adjust the programmable thermostat to 78 F during the day in summer or 68 F in winter. For each degree you raise the temperature, you’ll save 2% to 3% on your cooling costs.

Install variable frequency drives and super efficiency motors on air handlers. Energy use could drop by as much as 75%.

Turn off exhaust fans during unoccupied times. Every CFM that leaves the space must be replaced by a conditioned CFM.

Install high-efficiency evaporative fan motors in refrigerated cases and walk-in coolers to reduce motor energy use by up to 70%. This will reduce the amount of heat generated by the motor that will need to be removed from the case or cooled by the HVAC system.