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Food Lion, LLC:
Step 2 - Assess Performance
Food Lion, one of the largest supermarket chains in the United States, has more than 1,220 stores in 11 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. More than 400 Food Lion stores have achieved the ENERGY STAR label designation and the chain has a portfolio-wide energy performance rating above 75. Food Lion became a partner in the US Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® program in 1998, and has received ENERGY STAR partner awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Retail Partner Since 1998
Awards & Recognition
- Leadership in Energy Management 2003
- Sustained Excellence 2007,2006,2005,2004
- Sustained Excellence 2008,2002
Contact Information:
Food Lion, LLC
2110 Executive Drive
Salisbury, NC 28145
704-633-8250
In Practice
2: Assess Performance
Establishing a multi-faceted approach
Energy-use data must be collected and analyzed to help managers spot trends in building and portfolio performance. Food Lion uses a multi-faceted approach, which includes tracking and analyzing data at both the facility and system levels, benchmarking energy performance and obtaining appropriate technical assistance.
Food Lionss benchmarking program is two tiered. At the macro level, Food Lion uses the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, which evaluates property and portfolio performance through analysis of Food Lions electric and gas bills. The Portfolio Manager rates each store and automatically generates scorecards that allow Food Lion to compare stores to themselves over time, to the rest of the Food Lion portfolio, and to the rest of the grocery industry.
On a more micro level, Food Lion uses a special sub-metering system to monitor and analyze 17 different loads for each of its stores that have sub-metering in place. The sub-metering tracks energy consumption in such areas as HVAC, lighting, Deli, refrigeration, etc. Without sub-metering, a quick look at Food Lion's utility bill could flag a problem store. However, with sub-metering, Food Lion can quickly tell, for example, if an energy spike was caused by refrigeration, HVAC, lighting or any other area. The company's maintenance crews can then immediately correct the problems and, using the sub-metering system, know within 15 minutes if the entire problem has been corrected.
2.1: Gather Data
A foundation of knowledge
Without accurate raw data, an energy management plan is nearly impossible to develop. Food Lion works to capture and track its energy use data. Food Lion's multi-faceted approach to tracking, benchmarking and analyzing energy initiatives has made the company one of the most knowledgeable in the industry when it comes to understanding energy efficiency. Beyond this, the grocer routinely analyzes and tests new technologies that might unlock future energy savings.
By tracking energy data, Food Lion has been able to analyze energy use and make operational changes that have saved both energy and money. Food Lion saved 312 billion BTUs in 2005, greatly exceeding its own goal of reducing consumption by 300 billion BTUs.
2.3: Benchmark
Benchmarks show progress To determine the success of its energy management program, Food Lion needed the ability to measure its results against an established baseline. Food Lion developed an energy program based on internal and external benchmarking. Internally, Food Lion uses normalized quarterly reports, created by Facility IQ, to rank the efficiency of its stores by region. The energy team distributes these rankings to associates across the chain through individualized Performance Scorecards and Maintenance Scorecards, which detail the store's energy use, and provide a summary of quarterly energy and year-to-date capital and refrigeration costs. Food Lion posts the scorecards on bulletin boards and its intranet, and sends e-mail notifications to upper management. Externally, Food Lion compares how its stores are performing against similar stores in the country by using the EPA's energy performance rating system to generate ratings for each store. In 2004, Food Lion expanded its use of the rating system for supermarkets by partnering with Facility IQ and the EPA to generate automated monthly ratings within the Facility IQ environment. With this system, the Energy Team easily views trends on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, both internally and against competitors. Using this automated system has allowed Food Lion to quickly identify energy-wasting problems and see the results of energy-saving initiatives on a much broader level than in the past. Food Lion has used the EPA's energy performance rating system to benchmark 100 percent of its more than 1,200 stores, to identify more than 1,000 stores eligible to receive the ENERGY STAR designation, and to complete the ENERGY STAR labeling process for more than 400 stores.
2.4: Analyze Data
Real-time data analysis pushes the envelope
Since becoming an ENERGY STAR partner in 2000, Food Lion has implemented an exceptionally strong energy management program. To accomplish this, Food Lion needed to identify opportunities for increased energy efficiency.
Additionally, Food Lion's ability to track data at such levels gives the grocer leverage to convince their refrigeration suppliers to improve the energy efficiency of their cases by 50 percent resulting in a savings of tens of thousands of dollars per store annually.
2.5: Technical Assessment and Audits
Auditing and testing new technologies uncovers savings
To maximize energy performance, Food Lion continually explores opportunities for improvement. Energy audits and technical assessments help Food Lion identify these operational opportunities.
Food Lion also tests technologies to identify those stores that offer the greatest potential for energy savings. For example, in 2004, Food Lion tested technologies including skylights coupled with dimming sensors to practically eliminate daytime electric lighting of the back room; anti-fog film to replace anti-moisture heaters in glass cases; and high-efficiency case motor fans.
