IDEAS
LONGO’S NET-ZERO SUPERMARKET With its energy-reducing innovations, the Ontario store is an example for the rest of the grocery industry By David Brown LONGO’S IS SET TO OPEN a super-efficient 40,000-sq.-ft. supermarket in Stouffville, Ont. in November. The store is being described as “Canada’s first near net-zero supermarket,” meaning it will use 35% less energy than average and produce 65% of its own energy, thanks to leading-edge efficient building design and the incorporation of renewable energy systems and operating technologies. Some of the energy-reducing innovations include CO2 refrigeration with heat ejectors; a combined cooling, heating and power system; high-efficiency building envelope (the boundary between the interior and exterior of a building); LED lighting; advanced heat recovery; and
solar photovoltaics on the roof, carports, cart corrals and building façade. Longo’s is working with Neelands Group Limited and S2E Technologies Inc. to build the store. (Others contributing to the project include FCML, SNC-Lavalin, Studio Intersekt and Hammerschlag & Joffe.) Longo’s has long focused on more efficient stores that reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs, says Dave Mastroieni, vice-president of central procurement and facility management at Longo’s. “Grocery stores are heavy users of energy,” he says. “Any initiative that helps us reduce that is beneficial in the long run.” The store is estimated to cost more
RELIABLE FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT www.birosaw.com VACUUM MARINATING ENHANCES TASTE AND ADDS VALUE
Md. VTS-42
Md. VTS-46 Md. VTS-44
Md. VTS-100
279RB-6-17
than $11 million to build—about 30% more than a typical store—but the Federal Government is contributing about $1.4 million through Natural Resources Canada’s “Energy Innovation Program.” “Longo’s Stouffville supermarket will demonstrate first-of-its-kind netzero energy solutions, making it one of the most sustainable supermarkets in Canada,” said Jane Philpott, MP for Markham–Stouffville, in a statement. Ottawa hopes the new store can be an example for the industry of how grocery stores can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve clean and efficient energy consumption. While netzero supermarkets have been attempted in other countries, the challenges are greater in Canada’s extreme climate. “What is unique [about the Stouffville store] is all the different technologies working together,” explains Mastroieni. “Because each piece of this technology has been used somewhere in the industry … but nobody has really put everything together in this climate to make it work in unison.” Mastroieni says the new store will reduce between 1,500 and 2,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year—the equivalent of taking 274 to 366 cars off the road annually. Longo’s will continue to push to get closer to net zero in future stores, looking at innovations like better battery storage, geothermal energy and windmills. It’s also working to reduce energy consumption in existing stores. Solar panels have been installed at seven stores as well as at head office, and could be added to others, as could more CO2 refrigeration. LED retrofits are also underway. There’s significant upfront capital costs to install the most advanced LED systems, but they help reduce maintenance costs of traditional systems, save energy, and provide a better in-store experience for both customers and employees, says Mastroieni. CG