Supermarkets dimming lights, upgrading freezers to save energy bills

Many of UK’s supermarket chains like Waitrose, Morrisons and Co-op, have been turning down their lights and upgrading their freezer section in an effort to bring down soaring energy bills, stated recent reports.

As energy bill relief scheme approaches its end, supermarkets across the country as seen leaving no store unturned to reduce their energy bill. According to a report by Daily Mail, Waitrose is upgrading its fridges to make them 40 per cent more efficient while Aldi is fitting see-through doors to fridges to maintain low temperatures with the minimum energy costs.

Some shops are achieving lower energy use by upgrading to LED lighting. By using them instead of traditional fluorescent lightstrips and bulbs, electricity use can be cut by 80 per cent.

Sainsbury’s has switched to LED lights in its stores, and also uses smart sensors to adjust their brightness depending on the level of natural light coming in. They are also turned off at night when they’re not needed.

Most Halfords stores now have LED lights and Superdrug is moving that way, too. Moreover, local councils are turning to LED street lights to economise.

Somerset County Council, for example, changed 20,000 lights, saving an estimated £160,000 a year in energy costs.

Bigger supermarkets, where such doors on fridges often do not work, are using blinds that keep the cold air in overnight. Morrisons is already using this measure while Waitrose is considering it.

Supermarkets alone use three per cent of all electricity in the UK. Iceland, which specialises in frozen food, has already warned that its power bill is set to double.