We Care: Incorporating energy efficiency

January 16, 2014

This story is an excerpt from FCL's 2013 Social Responsibility Report. Find this story and more on our environmental and sustainability efforts, community investment, employee engagement and co-operative leadership in FCL's first report to the community.

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) and its retail members have a long history of designing and operating facilities in a responsible and sustainable manner. We began tracking energy efficiency at major facilities in 1976, hired our first Energy Conservation Officer in 1979, and introduced our first Environmental Sustainability Policy in 1993.

“It is standard operating procedure to incorporate efficiency measures into every project," says Terry Nelson, FCL Retail Facilities Manager. "And we ask this question at the start: How can we develop facilities that are both economically viable and environmentally sustainable?"

Efforts to reduce energy consumption in our offices and warehouses over the past five years have resulted in a 14 per cent reduction in electricity usage and 30 per cent reduction in natural gas consumption.

In co-op food stores, refrigeration uses the majority of energy in food stores and represents the greatest opportunity for enhanced energy performance. Installation of glass-door refrigeration cases in place of traditional, open multi-deck cases in the dairy section provides an 80 per cent reduction in energy consumption. LED lighting used in refrigeration display cases reduces energy usage by 50 per cent and generates less heat compared to conventional fluorescent lighting.

Refrigeration uses the majority of energy in food stores and represents the greatest opportunity for enhanced energy performance.