LOWERING NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION
Through both changes to mechanical systems and the implementation of a building automation system in our London and Windsor stores, we have reduced our gas consumption by more than 11% since 2019 – which equates to more than 50,000 cubic metres of natural gas.
LOWERING ELECTRICITY USAGE
In 2021, we completed our LED retrofit programs with motion sensors in every aisle of our distribution centres. With the implementation of our building automation systems plus a change to our business practices to decrease the amount of time the appliances and electronics are on in the stores, we have reduced our electricity usage by 9% – more than 340,000 kilowatt hours.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
In September of 2022, we commissioned our first renewable energy project at our Kitchener store. We installed 914 solar panels that will provide us with the capability to generate 411,000 kWh of electricity – enough to power 95% of the store, and the equivalent of 43 homes per year. This generation will also decrease our overall electricity usage by an additional 11%.
Yield from our solar panels on October 5, 2022. A very good generation day.
ENERGY STAR SCORES
Through mandatory energy reporting in Ontario, EnergyStar Portfolio Manager provides us the opportunity to track our energy usage at each location and rate our facilities against buildings of similar size and usage. A score of 80 tells you that your building is performing better than 80% of similar buildings. Annually, we report our energy usage of our distribution centres and stores in London and Windsor to the province. In 2021, our scores for both stores went up, rising from 84 to 89 in London, and 93 to 95 in Windsor.
EV CHARGING STATIONS
In addition to our focus on decreasing our environmental impact, we want to encourage our customers to decrease their dependence on fossil fuels as well. All six of our locations are now outfitted with EV charging stations for employee and customer use, and we are in the process of evaluating options to electrify our own company fleet as that technology evolves and grows. The technology is not quite there yet to meet our usage needs, but we hope to see great shifts in the next 2-3 years.
