Hy-Vee enters Wisconsin with eco-friendly store

New York City Hy-Vee on Tuesday opened its first Wisconsin location, in Madison. The 92,000-sq.-ft. supermarket, housed in a former Kmart, also is the 227-store chain’s first unit built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

The store features highly efficient heating, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment that decrease energy consumption. In addition, waste heat from equipment is used to preheat hot water and air. Natural light illuminates 75% of the sales floor, while more efficiency is gained through lighting that adjusts to natural light levels. Motion sensors activate lights in refrigerated cases and rooms. Energy performance is further improved through the use of low-E windows and a highly reflective roof that reduces the building’s energy load in the summer.

In other green components, the store has concrete floors that eliminate the need for additional floor coverings and the use of harmful cleaning chemicals. Recycled materials were utilized in the steel structure, foundation and concrete wall panels. Low-flow, motion-activated toilets and hand sinks help conserve water.

The store’s refrigeration equipment requires fewer refrigerants than traditional systems. No ozone-depleting refrigerants are used in the store’s cooling or refrigeration systems.

Focused lighting in the parking lot minimizes light beyond the property line or into the night sky. Materials used to pave the parking lot include partially recycled asphalt and concrete.

The landscaping includes native grasses and perennial plantings that, once established, will not require irrigation, chemical fertilizers or pesticides/herbicides.