How Grocery Stores Can Make Their Lighting More Efficient
Are you a grocery store owner looking for ways to make your store more sustainable? Or are you looking to stretch your budget where you can? Making your lighting more efficient can benefit your budget and the environment. Learn more about how our lighting choices affect us and the benefits of choosing energy-efficient lighting. Keep reading to find out how GCE National can help!
How Much Energy Do Grocery Stores Use?
As a whole, lighting can be particularly draining. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), lighting makes up 35% of energy use in the United States! On a smaller scale, grocery stores also use a fair amount of energy. According to Energy Star, “supermarkets in the United States use around 50 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and 50 cubic feet of natural gas per square foot per year — an average annual energy cost of more than $4 per square foot.” Typically, this amounts to 15% of a grocery store’s expenses!
What are the Advantages of Energy Efficiency for Grocery Stores?
The most obvious and often common reason for choosing energy-efficient lighting over traditional lighting is money. Lights such as LEDs can save your grocery store thousands of dollars a year. When you choose more efficient lighting you can use 80% less energy than traditional lighting such as incandescent or fluorescent lights.
Becoming more energy efficient will do more for your grocery store than save you money. Becoming energy efficient is also extremely beneficial for our environment. Reducing our environmental impact should always be one of the biggest objectives of a business owner.
Lastly, choosing a more efficient route can also lower your heat production. Older bulbs often generate more heat than energy-efficient bulbs. This can put a strain on your air conditioning. It can also cause fresh foods to spoil and ruin.
What are the Risks of Not Being Efficient?
When you aren’t choosing energy-conscious lighting options you will likely see an increase in your expenses. Most traditional lighting is not created to withstand long periods. They often require more maintenance and upkeep than energy-efficient lighting. Energy-efficient lighting such as LEDs does not require the same level of care and they last longer!
Once you install your new bulbs, you will not have to worry about constant and expensive maintenance. Unfortunately, they are more expensive than traditional lights. Many often forgo energy-efficient bulbs because of their hefty price. However, many do not also realize how much money they can save you in the long run!
How Can Grocery Stores Make Their Lighting More Efficient?
Choose LEDs (Light Emitting Diode)
As stated previously, LEDs are extremely beneficial and energy-efficient. LEDs were created to last a long time. Most LEDs will last up to 50,000 hours. This is much longer than more traditional lighting options such as incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps CFL, or halogen lights. Not only do they last longer, but the technology around LEDs has also advanced. For example, many LEDs are now programmable. In other words, you can easily access their CRI, temperatures, sensors, etc. Many grocery stores are opting to change the CRI of their LEDs to benefit their product. Different lighting affects the way products look. Using the programmable feature, grocery store owners can save money and make more sales.
Take Advantage of Natural Daylight
An easily overlooked option for becoming more efficient is using the free light you have already! Harvesting natural daylight is a fantastic way to save money on daytime lighting while also lowering your energy output. By using lights that are already available, you can reduce your energy output. Grocery stores that take advantage of daylight with big windows and glass doors also boost people’s moods. For example, daylight tends to make people feel lighter and happier. The happier a customer may feel, the more they may buy!
Use Sensors and Timers in Your Store
Lastly, sensors and timers in your grocery store are a great option for saving energy and becoming more efficient. Many LED lights can be bought with sensors. Some sensors are used to track the number of customers that travel to various areas of the store. Other sensors can track movement in its general vicinity. For example, if there is a lack of foot traffic and movement in an area, this sensor will shut off lights until movement returns. Timers are better for stores that are open in both the early mornings and the late evenings. Light timers give grocery stores the ability to harvest daylight during the day, and LED lights in the evening. After setting your timers, you can choose which lights you use at which point in the day.
Talk to GCE National
Lighting a grocery store efficiently can be overwhelming and daunting. There is a lot to learn about environmentally-friendly lighting and cost-saving opportunities. The best thing you can do for yourself and your grocery store is to talk to a professional such as GCE National. GCE National has multiple lighting experts on staff that can help you choose the best lights. Speak with a lighting expert at GCE National about improving the lighting efficiency at your grocery store today.
