Co-op supermarkets and convenience stores are dimming the lighting in some of its stores to try to keep a lid on energy bills, recent reports stated.
The chain is reported to have said that it will introduce dimmer lighting to 500 of its stores, around a fifth of its total number in the the UK. According to its figures, the measures could reduce its electricity bills for a single store by up to £4,000 a year and it it is rolled out to all its 2,500 stores, the saving could be as much as £10 million, BBC reported.
The retailer said in its interim results in September that energy and wage inflation increased costs in the first half of 2022 by around £50m, while grocery sales grew driven by an increase in shopping frequency.
“We are trialing an energy-smart lighting initiative in a small number of our stores and are also reviewing how we can become a more energy-efficient business, without compromising safety and still achieving a positive store environment and shopping experience for our customers,” reports quoted a Co-op spokesman as saying.
Apart from Co-op, larger retailers like Tesco and Asda are also understood to be dimming lights in some bigger superstores to tackle rising energy costs. Sainsbury's lowers lighting when it is bright outside or during less busy hours under its long-running environmental plans to save energy and meet its goal of being net zero in its operations by 2035.
The National Grid has also announced it will launch a scheme from 1 November which incentivises businesses and households to reduce their electricity use at key times to help reduce pressure on the energy supply this winter.
The company said larger businesses will be paid for reducing demand, for example by shifting their times of energy use or switching to batteries or generators in peak times.
Brian McLister
