Hannaford Supermarkets: Brandon, Vermont

BACKGROUND

Hannaford Supermarkets operates more than 180 stores and employs more than 27,000 associates throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. In 2015, Efficiency Vermont launched a Deep Retrofit pilot program to help Vermont businesses cut their energy consumption in half. Under the pilot program, Hannaford committed to reducing energy use by 50% at its Brandon, Vermont store. Utilizing incentives and technical support from energy experts at Efficiency Vermont, Hannaford was able to take a whole building approach to understand the building’s energy usage and to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce energy waste and costs.

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SOLUTIONS

Hannaford implemented energy efficiency improvements to the lighting, HVAC, plug loads, and refrigeration systems at the Brandon store. The supermarket also upgraded kitchen equipment, enhanced the building controls, and installed motion sensors to turn off the lights in grocery aisles without customers. In addition, Efficiency Vermont sub-metered multiple vendor-provided beverage coolers to identify the most energy-efficient model for the Brandon store. As a result, Hannaford developed a policy for all its stores in New England and New York requiring their vending partners to provide the most efficient beverage cases available.

Hannaford implemented 29 different Energy Conservation Measures at the Brandon store:

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Energy Conservation Measures
Refrigeration Improvements:
Upgrade from shaded pole evaporator fan motors to electric motors in refrigerated cases
Upgrade to evaporator fan motors at low-temp and medium-temp walk-ins
Optimize refrigeration controls including floating head pressure
Upgrade to new closed cases where cases were too old to optimize
Upgrade from hot gas defrost to electronic defrost
Close open low-temp cases by adding doors
Upgrade produce cases to new efficient cases with doors
Upgrade outdoor low-temp walk-in to more efficient unit with strip curtains, improved insulation, air sealing, lighting, and controls
Close open deli, dairy, and beer cases by adding glass doors
Anti-sweat heater control on low-temp frozen reach-in cases; heat disconnected from medium-temp cases
Install night shades on medium-temp fresh meat cases; 44 linear feet
Replace chicken display units
Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Improvements:
Add heat reclaim to recover waste heat from compressors to heat store
Shut down extra produce evaporator unit and turn fans off
Install destratification fans (sales floor and back room)
Kitchen exhaust vent time-of-day control
Lighting Improvements:
Upgrade from metal halide to LED lighting and controls 
Commission lighting to dim when few staff are in store stocking at night
Upgrade to LED parking lot lighting; control to only have one light on during night time hours when store is closed, but limited staff are working
Turn interior lights and case lights off during unoccupied times if there are no occupancy sensors
Decrease or eliminate 24/7 light fixtures
Retrofit LEDs to reach-in frozen cases
Install case motion detectors on all reach-in cases
LEDs at front counter aisle lights
Kitchen Equipment Improvements:
Upgrade to more efficient heat seal unit in deli
Upgrade to more efficient heat seal unit in produce
Other Improvements:
Upgrade to condensing propane hot water heater
Engage store staff to optimize procedures/scheduling
Add impact doors on receiving doorway

More information about the deep energy retrofit project at the Brandon, VT store is available in this case study and this video from Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP).

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OTHER BENEFITS

While participating in the deep energy retrofit pilot, Hannaford was also able to incorporate education and outreach to both its employees and the public. The store displayed informational posters about the project and hung up a “50% reduction thermometer” in the break room so that employees could see how the retrofits were progressing. Hannaford promoted energy efficiency to its customers with educational decals on the doors of refrigerated cases that noted the benefits of the LED lights installed in those cases.

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Hannaford has completed numerous projects to improve energy efficiency across its portfolio of stores since 2012, including lighting and controls retrofits, refrigeration case night curtains, freezer coffin covers, doors to enclose open cases, LED case light retrofits and control, Green Chill Heat Recovery, heat seal units, and evaporator motors. Collectively, these projects are saving Hannaford more than 3.2 million kWh and $400,000 each year.

To learn more about Hannaford’s company-wide sustainability efforts, please visit this Sustainability page.

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Annual Energy Use

(Source EUI)
Baseline (2014)
905 kBtu/sq. ft.
Actual (2017)
395 kBtu/sq. ft.

Energy Savings:

56%

Annual Energy Cost

Baseline (2014)
$250,000
Actual (2017)
$115,000

Cost Savings:

$135,000

Sector Type

Commercial

Location

Brandon, Vermont

Project Size

20,000 Square Feet

Financial Overview

Project Cost: $650,000

Closed door cases in the produce section reduced energy use.
Closed door cases in the produce section reduced energy use.

Rooftop air-handling unit for glycol heat reclaim off a low-temp refrigeration rack.
Rooftop air-handling unit for glycol heat reclaim off a low-temp refrigeration rack.

Informational posters tracked the progress toward the 50% reduction goal.
Informational posters tracked the progress toward the 50% reduction goal.