A great deal at Big Y Supermarkets: half a million dollars off energy bills.
Big Y is big on energy-efficient operation and design. Since 2007, it has invested $2 million in energy efficiency. The payoff: more than four million kilowatt hours saved each year.
“We have long recognized the value of investing in energy efficiency — both on the design side and when it comes to operations,” said Gary Kuchyt, Manager of Energy and Sustainability. “We’re working with Western Massachusetts Electric and other Mass Save sponsors to make our whole operation more efficient — from keeping food cold to keeping our customers warm.”
Headquartered in Springfield, MA, Big Y is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England. Proud to be family owned and operated, they currently operate 64 stores throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts with over 10,000 employees. It has a dedicated Energy Manager who analyzes efficiency operations as an ongoing business profitability plan. His goal: continuous efficiency improvement.
Refrigeration is a major cost for supermarkets. Big Y installed efficient technology in freezers and refrigerators, and put in “night curtains” that cover open refrigerator cases in the evening to conserve energy. It has also upgraded store heating, cooling, ventilation, and air conditioning. Coolers and freezers are lit by LEDs, and stores are lit by energy-efficient fixtures.
Big Y’s new Lee, Massachusetts store features a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system. The panels generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 30 homes. All new stores are built with state-of-the-art energy monitoring systems. These automatically notify management of any energy anomalies, triggering whatever maintenance might be needed to keep things humming along at maximum efficiency.
In March, Big Y Foods completed an LED lighting retrofit at its distribution facility in Springfield. It’s expected to reduce energy consumption by more than 520,000 kilowatt hours each year, eliminating more than 4,000 pounds of carbon annually.
Later this year, Big Y is planning a lighting retrofit of its corporate headquarters in Springfield. That project is expected to save an additional 228,000 kilowatt hours annually.
Big Y's clean energy efforts follow a long history of Earth-friendly operations. Big Y Supermarkets were among the first to offer reusable grocery bags. Big Y features continuous cleanup throughout the stores, as the chain keeps cutting pollution by boosting energy efficiency. Factor in benefits to the bottom line, and Big Y Supermarkets serves as an example for any business that ants to do well while doing good.
Big Y features continuous cleanup on aisle 1… and aisle 2.. and throughout the stores, as the chain keeps cutting pollution by boosting energy efficiency. Factor in benefits to the bottom line, and Big Y Supermarkets serves as an example for any business that wants to do well while doing good.