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46 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MAY 2011
energy manager, who focuses on demand-side management in stores, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and warehouses.
“H-E-B spends a lot of money on not just electricity, which is a big part of the pie at an overwhelming percentage of the store’s oper- ating cost, but we still spend quite a bit on water and natural gas. So my job is to help reduce our energy consumption, which goes right to the company’s bottom line,” he says, adding, “Electricity is a huge expense; I think it is No. 3 behind labor and rent.”
Lighting retrofits, which Lopez calls the low-hanging fruit, reduced wattage 41 percent. “With over 200 lights on average per store, we saw a four to six percent reduction in our total electricity use, in addition to lowering maintenance and labor costs. But the benefits translate to the produce department as well, improving color rendition and visual appeal on the retail floor,” says Lopez. One added benefit of new lighting is that those higher wattage fixtures generated more heat, which was bad for produce.
Open cases in stores use a significant amount of energy to keep products cold. For stores that are not open 24 hours, night blinds keep the cool air in the cases for a two to six percent reduction on the meter, but also lead to less shrink, Lopez explains.
In the pipeline, H-E-B would like to install LED lighting in refrigerated cases throughout the store, says Lopez, noting, “We have tested some in produce cases here in town.” One advantage of LED is lower energy, but the really big advantage is much lower maintenance. However, there are challenges in cold climates in keeping their full brightness. H-E-B is also testing innovative air-conditioning technology that reuses existing water condensation.
Water is a big issue, albeit still relatively cheap when prioritizing initiatives, says Lopez, noting challenges in the hot Texas weather. Many variables impact alternative energy results, he explains, noting that exper- iments with solar power still only amount to one percent of H-E-B’s total annual consump- tion, and wind energy purchases requiring a bigger upfront investment are a hedge. “We are hoping that over the life of the purchase, there is a kind of breakeven point,” he says.
“We are very open to trying new things,” says Reynolds. “With research and develop- ment, some things work, some things do not, but there is a willingness to explore what makes sense.”
From the partners on the front lines to the partners at headquarters, everyone at H-E-B seems in sync with this strategy. pb


































































































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