Kroger wins EPA certification for building design

Indianapolis A Kroger location in Indianapolis recently became the first grocery store in the nation to earn the Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency for building design, according to The Indianapolis Star.

The Nora Kroger store has installed skylights, as well as a temperature control systems that automatically adjust heating and cooling levels based on need.

In addition, the store reuses heat from refrigeration cases and equipment to heat its water, as well as the building.

Eight other Kroger stores in Indianapolis have applied for the certification, which designates buildings that are environmentally designed to perform in the top 25% of all buildings in the United States, the report said.

Nationwide, Kroger has replaced all of the fluorescent lights in its glass-door freezer cases with light-emitting diode light bars, or LED lamps, which saves about 100,000 kilowatts of energy and $10,000 per store annually, according to the report.