Conservation

[Stella Martin]

I've never really thought about conservation but I'm not wasteful either. But earlier I saw some documentary about the environment - pollution, conservation, etc. and I realized that there are some things that I can actually do to reduce my water and energy consumption. I already know some of the stuff they suggested but i don't know. It really hit me hard earlier.
Now I have convenience store. Any suggestions on how I can reduce my store's water and energy consumption?

 

[barbu]

The nice thing about conservation is that it saves you money as well. So things like efficient lighting units and heating/cooling units, energy star appliances, and quality insulation (from both heat and cold - expensive things like double or triple pane windows, or very affordable things like weather-stripping) can make quite a difference. You will want to calculate the cost of improvements vs. the potential savings to see how long they will take to pay for themselves.
For water usage, you can look at collecting and using rain water and things like lo-flow showers and toilets.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Now I have convenience store. Any suggestions on how I can reduce my store's water and energy consumption?

Put bottled water at the back of the store. At the front of the store, feature and sell reusable water bottles and offer your patrons a free fill-up from the the water fountain or from the tap or whatever if they buy a reusable water bottle. While this might increase your store's water consumption, it will decrease the amount of plastic being thrown away which I think is a much larger issue.

Put a motion sensor on the frig lights, so that the lights inside the cold storage only go on when someone is nearby.

Encourage customers to bring reusable grocery bags, rather than using your plastic/paper bags, maybe offer a $1 discount on purchases $20+ to those who bring their own bags.

Install solar panels on your roof - or get into a leasing arrangement with a company like Solar City to put the solar panels on your roof and buy the energy from them.

Mop the floors less often, rather use dry-cleaning techniques like sweeping or brushing more often.

Install a revolving door, or a door curtain, to reduce the amount of heat/AC that is let out every time someone walks in and out.

 

[rdowns]

The biggest waste of heating and cooling for stores in the front door opening and closing all day. If you have double doors, it will save you a small fortune.

 

[maflynn]

Put a motion sensor on the frig lights, so that the lights inside the cold storage only go on when someone is nearby.

Some of the newer markets I've been too, not only use motion sensors but LED lights, while a bit pricier they last longer and use less energy.

 

[maflynn]

Maybe except the revolving door.

I don't think a revolving door for a super market (or convenience store) is feasible at all, as you have to deal with the shopping carriages. Both as customers leave, and of course as you go and collect them back into the store for usage.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

• Small notes on cooler doors and freezers, to kindly tell customers to think about energy use and close the freezer/cooler doors properly.
• Only sell paper bags. Plastic bags are a huge load on the environment in comparison. And raise prices a bit too, to encourage people to bring their own and thus reuse them. You can even donate the surpluss to a good environmental cause, and let the customers know they help by not buying plastic bags.
• Sell more organic foods to stop the over use of pesticide use.

Remmeber, small steps for many people add up!