Northwest Grocer Rings Up Energy Savings

An ambitious lighting upgrade at Fiesta Foods’ four locations in Oregon and Washington is expected to reduce the specialty grocer’s energy consumption by approximately 1.33 million kilowatt hours of electricity, and save more than $79,000 in energy costs annually. And with the help of cash incentives offered by utilities in each store’s local community, Fiesta Foods is looking at a payback of less than two years for its energy-saving investment.
According to Craig Gaylord, Fiesta Foods CEO, he was influenced by a lighting upgrade implemented by a retailer friend. “I could see how the new lighting changed the look of his store and appeal of the merchandise,” explained Gaylord. “That made an impact on me so I pursued a similar project in my own stores.”

Gaylord’s first goal was to reduce his energy bill, and his second was to freshen the look of merchandise in individual stores. “Energy is a huge expense,” he said, “so anything we can do to reduce operating costs is critical. I couldn’t have done it without the incentives. We’ve heard nothing but positives from our customers who noticed the difference right away.”

The chain replaced a total of 3,636 older T8s and HIDs with 100 percent LED products. While the scope of the upgrade varied by store, generally it included improvements to overhead lighting, refrigerated case lighting, and interior and exterior lighting.