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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Guide to energy conservation for grocery stores

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5225702

Grocery stores and supermarkets consume about 4 percent of the total electricity used in the United States. Rising energy prices, fuel allocations, and natural gas curtailments are threatening the existence of the country's 200,000 retail food outlets. Anything jeopardizing the operation of these stores would also affect the millions of families who depend on them. This guide offers some solutions to the problem of how to save energy in a retail food outlet. The guide opens with a chapter that offers suggestions on how to begin and how to maintain an energy-conservation program in a small grocery store or a supermarket. It is followed by four chapters offering pragmatic information on how to save energy in the major energy-using systems; environmental control (refrigeration, humidity, HVAC); building structure; lighting; and bakeries and delicatessens. Each of these chapters begins with a general discussion of the sources of energy losses and the potential for energy savings. Emphasis is placed on increasing the efficiency of existing equipment. This guide concludes with a step-by-step procedure that enables the store operators to chart their fuel and monthly energy use. Even though energy costs continue to rise, this tracking procedure enables an operator to monitor the results of his conservation measures. (MCW)

Research Organization:
Federal Energy Administration, Washington, DC (USA). Office of Energy Conservation and Environment
OSTI ID:
5225702
Report Number(s):
FEA/D-76/096
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English