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Talking shop with Jeffery Hart
The president and CEO of Cadence Network says retailer need to be aggressive and through in their approach to managing ever-increasing utility expenses.
Grocery Headquarters: What preventative measure can retailers take to combat rising utility costs?
Jeff Hart : The key is in information management, so they need to understand really what their expense is and what the breakdown of that expense is when talking about energy – how much expenditure is going into lighting versus refrigeration versus HVAC. Once they have all that billing information, then they can start making some strategic decisions on what types of maintenance programs or capital improvements they need to put into place.
GH: In what areas can grocers do a better job of saving energy?
Hart : The one that's probably going to give them the biggest bang for their buck, if they go back to what their overall energy expenditure is and break it down into lighting, refrigeration and HVAC, typically is going to be refrigeration. They need to validate their set points, and they need to make sure that equipment is regularly maintained. In many cases they may need to actually consult with refrigeration experts, because refrigeration is so complicated. It's not like an electric light where it's on or it's off. There are pumps and there are refrigeration units; there are doors that are opening and closing so you have climate issues; you have the age of the refrigeration; and there are just so many different manufacturers.
GH: Have there been any recent utility based technological developments that grocery retailers should know about?
Hart : There is a constant movement in the progress with technology platforms across lighting, HVAC and refrigeration. So the managers of theses locations clearly need to be abreast of what's going on with the market, and then they need to work with the various organizations that sell those products to determine what their payback would be after they decide to make that capital investment.
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