Shoppers Drug Mart

New lighting brightens stores, cuts energy costs

The recent installation of energy-efficient lighting at 26 Shoppers Drug Mart stores across B.C. is saving enough electricity each year to power 145 homes.

And here's the kicker: the new lighting has also made the stores brighter, more attractive places to work and shop.

"Upgrading our store lighting to more energy-efficient technologies is not only saving us money but also enhances the appearance of our merchandise displays," says Norm Peck, director of store premises services for Shoppers Drug Mart.

Shoppers Drug Mart was so pleased with the results that they are now considering upgrading lighting in 30 to 40 more stores and planning to install building automation systems and other energy efficiency measures in 10 stores.

The challenge: upgrade store lighting at an affordable cost

Shoppers Drug Mart has 118 locations across British Columbia, each store owned and operated by an "associate", the term the chain uses to describe the licensee who owns and operates a store under license from Shoppers Drug Mart Inc.

Some of the associates were looking for ways to reduce their store's operating costs and realized that upgrading to more energy-efficient lighting could be a solution. The idea was that the lights wouldn't only lower electricity consumption, but would also provide maintenance savings through less frequent replacement of lamps. Another benefit was that the energy-efficient lighting would better highlight store merchandise.

Several of the Associates contacted BC Hydro to find out what lighting technologies would suit the stores. Working with BC Hydro's Power Smart Product Incentive Program, which provides incentives for the installation of a wide range of energy efficient technologies, 26 Shoppers Drug Mart stores decided to implement an energy-efficient lighting upgrade.

"This project shows that store associates and their employees can really make a difference when it comes to lowering our operating costs and moving toward greater energy efficiency," says Peck.

The solution: higher efficiency wall and ceiling lighting

The 26 stores carried out these lighting measures:

• Replaced 3,040 90-watt halogen lamps with 25-watt ceramic metal halide lamps for accent lighting.
• Upgraded 14,476 32-watt T8 fluorescent lamps in ceiling fixtures to reduced wattage T8 lamps.
• Removed unnecessary fixtures.

The project was the largest lighting retrofit in the pharmacy sector in B.C. in 2007.

The benefits: better light quality, lower operating costs

The lighting upgrade in the 26 stores is saving nearly 1.5 gigawatt hours of electricity a year – more than $72,850 a year.

This represents an average 10% reduction in energy use in the retrofitted stores, and an impressive 7.5% reduction in the total electricity consumption of Shoppers Drug Mart's B.C. stores.

As well, maintenance costs are reduced since the energy-efficient lights last longer and fewer lamp replacements are needed. In addition to savings, Shoppers Drug Mart received over $30,000 in financial incentives from the Product Incentive Program.

Employees and customers have commented on the brighter, more attractive and comfortable light from the new fixtures and lamps.

Contact BC Hydro

Find out how Power Smart can energize your bottom line. For more information on how your facility can benefit from the installation of energy-efficient technologies through the Product Incentive Program, visit bchydro.com/incentives or call 1 866 522 4713.

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