Singh360 Energy Innovates with Lunds & Byerlys to an Energy Usage Index of 32.
Lunds & Byerlys enterprise electrical usage dropped from an average of 65 to just 38 kWh/sq ft, driving over $19 million in savings and reducing energy usage by 200 million kWh over the past 12 years.
Lunds & Byerlys is an upscale supermarket chain serving the Minneapolis, Minnesota market. They have worked closely with Singh360 Energy to implement several sustainability and energy-related projects.
The strategic approach across their 27 grocery stores is two-fold; work quickly to retro-commission existing stores to improve operations and be innovative with new store design & implementation. Ongoing results with Singh360 are impressive.
Existing grocery stores are evaluated, solutions designed, and new innovations implemented. The upgrades dropped energy usage by 42% in these stores.
New grocery stores are reimagined and designed with an Energy Usage Index of just 32 kWh/sq ft. The grocery industry standard is about 50 kWh/sq ft (Energy Star). These efforts delivered energy savings and financial returns while also reducing carbon emissions.
Sustainability by Overcoming Challenges One Innovation at a Time
Wally Lindemann, Lund & Byerlys, Director of Store Development and Maintenance is not shy from using innovative technologies. He often combines reduction in carbon emissions with energy savings by leveraging the engineering knowledge, control expertise, and the end-to-end project execution delivered by Singh360 Energy.
Lunds & Byerlys completed dozens of projects with Singh360 Energy by combining their engineering services with the kWh360 software platform (www.kwh360.com). Projects across their 27 grocery stores and two production facilities included;
- installation of hybrid condensers with electronically controlled motors (ECM),
- case control technology,
- utilizing a web-based store-wide control system,
- bringing in kitchen hoods with capture jets technology,
- retrofitting stores with LED lighting & dimming,
- retrofitting glass door on cases,
- utilizing variable frequency drives (VFD), and
- implementing high-efficient HVAC systems,
…and commissioning and retro-commissioning stores with higher than industry standard Energy Usage Index. Singh360 has worked directly with the utility companies to capture energy rebates, which added to the already attractive return on investments, a hands-on approach offered to drive greater value.
Little Management without a Focused Strategy
If every energy reduction idea or complex solution came with repeatable blueprints, nothing would be difficult. Things to consider on a path to greater cost savings, lower energy usage, and a reduced carbon footprint:
- Are there existing strategic directives already in place?
- Are there mandates to reduce xx% of energy by the xx year?
- Are there mandates for company-wide carbon emissions reductions?
- Are there many buildings in your footprint, but no enterprise-wide view?
- Are there initiatives to move from one refrigerant type to another?
- Are there efforts to incorporate more modern or improved control systems?
- Are there questions about which locations to retro-commission first, second, or never?
- Are there repeatable initiatives that will continue to deliver proven results?
“I have been working with Singh360 for many years. They have a deep and impressive understanding of store operations, IT infrastructure, Control system and energy technologies. In fact, Abtar Singh persuaded us to implement a web-based facility solution that helped us reduce our energy cost by more than 10%,” exclaims Wally.
About Singh360
Singh360 Energy software and services range from building-envelope assessments to complete design of mechanical and electrical systems (including HVAC, lighting and refrigeration systems) for new and existing buildings using mobile and cloud app from kWh360 Inc.
These innovations help organizations set priorities for efficiency projects based on sustainability goals, speed of payback, and the measured return on investment. Contact Singh360 to see if these innovations fit with your facility and energy management strategy going forward.
[ reference ]
* Energy Star: “Supermarkets: An Overview of Energy Use and Energy Efficiency Opportunities”
