Sainsbury’s new store in Leek near Stoke-on-Trent has become the first to use a new type of lighting system that promises to cut energy use by almost two thirds compared to a conventional installation.
According to Sainsbury’s it is the first retailer to use GE Lighting’s Lumination linear suspended lighting, whose LED technology promises to deliver a 59% saving in lighting energy and incorporates daylight sensors to optimise natural daylight.
Sainsbury’s originally trialled the new system in one of its local convenience stores in Scotland late last year. The initial findings were so positive says Paul Crewe, the company’s head of sustainability, that it decided to install it in the new supermarket. “We are confident that it will deliver an enhanced shopping experience as well as significant energy savings. We will be monitoring its performance closely over the coming months as a potential technology for carbon reduction in our stores,” he added.
Sainsbury’s has invested in a number of new technologies in its stores to help it reduce its absolute operational carbon emissions by 30% by 2020.
The new Leek store also features:
- A biomass boiler to heat the store and hot water - the boiler uses a renewable resource (e.g. wood chips or pellets) instead of using fossil fuel-based gas
- Rainwater harvesting and other water saving measures reducing water consumption by 45%, compared to a store built in 2005/06
- Natural refrigeration for fridges and freezers reducing carbon emissions by 33%
- Comprehensive customer recycling facilities
- Zero food waste to landfill