Retailers - Make Your Premises Energy Efficient

The term ‘Energy management’ refers to overall reduction of energy usage in any premises, in turn lowering costs, managing comfort of the occupants and minimizing the impact on the environment.

In case of retail stores, effective energy management requires a holistic approach that focuses on enhancing customer and employee satisfaction, optimizing indoor air quality and measuring progress over the building’s lifecycle. Leading retailers know that achieving energy efficiency goals requires a corporate commitment and a willingness to invest in energy efficient capital equipment such as heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

By making ‘Energy Management’ a business-critical priority, retailers can reduce their operating costs, increase employee productivity, drive sales up and even outperform their competitors. Utility expenses are more than one-third of retail outlets’ operating costs, and as power and fuel prices continue to rise all over the globe, the financial implications of energy efficiency are going to be even greater.

Customer comfort
Retail store maintenance managers strive to maintain a balance between indoor comfort, energy usage and an awareness of the brand’s desired shopping experience. Lighting, air quality and distribution, ventilation, exhaust, noise as well as electrical power can influence customer comfort including the time they spend in a store and how many items they purchase. Monitoring these variables and their impact on employee and customer delight is an important facet of retail energy management.

An effective energy management strategy must be devised, starting at the building design phase. It’s recommended that retailers outline efficiency targets in the initial phase and use the best available technology to benefit from long – term energy savings to reduce initial and keep long–term energy costs low, the size of the system should be appropriate for the space.

Environmental impact

Energy efficiency is bound to have a salutary environmental impact as well. Carbon dioxide emissions from power plants account for 95 per cent of indirect global warming impact. Energy use is thus the single largest source of carbon dioxide emission. Retail outlets can have a significant impact on the environment by managing and lowering their energy utilization.

Selecting the right equipment and controls, proper maintenance, including preventive maintenance, energy services, energy audits and systems analysis, will not only reduce the running costs of a business but will also lower the contribution to global warming.

A proactive and holistic approach to energy management can result in tangible reductions in energy usage without any need to sacrifice customer satisfaction, brand equity or employee comfort. Energy efficiency helps improve the bottom line in more ways than one.