Starbucks stores in energy-saving pilot

Oakland, Calif. -- Lucid, a provider of real-time feedback technology for buildings, is spearheading a study of resource consumption and behavior change with Starbucks Coffee Co. The pilot project, developed in conjunction with the Snohomish County Public Utility District and Portland Energy Conservation Inc., will be hosted by 10 Starbucks stores in Snohomish County, Wash., and will serve to test and document measurable energy savings in the stores.



The program encourages Starbucks employees to identify conservation strategies that will reduce the amount of energy required to run their stores while not impacting customer service. The pilot will evaluate energy savings derived by providing energy use data to employees, coupled with friendly competition among stores.



The pilot pairs a 30-day competition among 10 Starbucks stores using Lucid’s Building Dashboard platform to promote behavior change through real-time energy usage information, employee engagement and focused energy savings strategies. It complements a broad range of energy efficiency and sustainability goals embraced by Starbucks throughout its retail locations.



For Starbucks, the pilot continues its leadership around conservation.



“We have committed to reducing energy and water use in company-owned stores by 25% by 2015,” said Jim Hanna, director, environmental stewardship at Starbucks. “This pilot project demonstrates our ongoing desire to meet our customers’ expectations of providing a premium experience while at the same time constantly evaluating our environmental performance.”



The pilot will run for at least one year.