RILA releases report to help retailers compare, identify energy saving initiatives

The Retail Industry Leaders Association introduced its second Retail Energy Management Report, a resource for companies to compare energy management programs across the industry and identify opportunities for progress.



The report was released prior to the opening of RILA’s 2015 Retail Sustainability Conference, now in its eighth year.



The 2015 Retail Energy Management Report was developed under the Retail Energy Management Program, a RILA initiative that focuses on two key opportunities to help retailers improve their energy performance: financial management and leased stores management. The program’s goal is to develop leading practice implementation models, educate the industry, and spur adoption of implementation models for both of these areas of focus.



Earlier this year, RILA received a $750,000 grant from the Department of Energy for expansion of its financial management program focus area. The program is sponsored by Schneider Electric, Altenex, and Wipro EcoEnergy.


The information in the report was gathered from a 62 question survey of 47 national retail companies about their energy teams, budget, and operations.



“This report continues to be a valuable tool to track the industry’s progress in energy management practices over time, and to benchmark companies’ programs. It is our hope that this report helps retailers identify even more opportunities for growth and provides them with the resources needed to achieve their energy program goals,” said Erin Hiatt, senior manager of sustainability and compliance at RILA.



Based on the results of the survey, RILA identified four notable trends:



1. Programs continue to improve. Even for the activities where retailers are the most mature, continued improvement in the coming years remains a goal.



2. Energy managers understand the importance of maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders for effectively managing energy consumption.



3. Retail energy management programs can yield the most results by prioritizing and aligning energy goals with other company priorities.



4. For each dimension, there is at least one retailer at a “leading” maturity level.



To download the Retail Energy Management Industry Report, visit Rila.org/energy.