Price Chopper/Market 32 Boosts Energy Efficiency in Connecticut Stores
Price Chopper/Market 32 continues to make strides in its sustainability goals with the completion of a comprehensive energy efficiency project conducted by Fairbanks Energy Services.
The project spanned five stores in Connecticut and included energy-saving solutions such as modern LED lighting with occupancy sensors and controls, high efficiency evaporator fan motors, rooftop unit demand control ventilation and fan staging controls. While the upgrades helped improve sustainability, the changes also enhanced the store aesthetics and netted the retailer nearly $2.2 million in energy savings on an annual basis. A good portion of the project cost – 75% – was covered by Eversource Connecticut utility incentives.
“The work done by Fairbanks Energy Services supports our commitment to lessening our environmental impact. Their knowledge of Connecticut utility programs allowed us to save significantly on several important upgrades for our stores, and now we’re able to reinvest money we would be spending on energy as early as next year,” said Frank Blake, director of facilities maintenance and energy at Price Chopper/Market 32.
Added Ross Fairbanks, COO at Hingham, Mass.-based Fairbanks Energy Services: “We were excited to tackle this project with Price Chopper/Market 32 due to the opportunity to support essential infrastructure and provide large kWh and cost deductions through strategic energy efficiency solutions.”
Price Chopper/Market 32 has made other moves lately to reduce its environmental footprint. Earlier this month, the company announced that it was working with fresh food retail platform Invafresh to reduce up to 3,000 tons of fresh food waste over the next three years across its locations in the northeastern part of the country.
Based in Schenectady, N.Y., Price Chopper/Market 32 operates more than 130 Price Chopper and Market 32 grocery stores and one Market Bistro, employing 18,000 associates in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Earlier this year, Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets entered into a definitive merger agreement that will nearly double their collective footprint in the Northeast. Price Chopper/Market 32 is No. 56 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
