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Landlords, leases and lower energy costs
Mall and strip plaza tenants usually have little control over energy consumption. The landlord is the only one empowered to do something — or nothing — to reduce consumption.
  If you're a mall tenant who wants to lower energy costs, you'll want to be careful about how you approach energy conservation with your landlord. Your landlord may see an energy efficiency program as an opportunity to invent new administration fees or to charge you for construction work that has little to do with energy efficiency.
  Here are some tips for reducing energy consumption without incurring expenses for your landlord.
  • Encourage your landlord to turn off the mall's air conditioning at night. Use a timer to turn on the air early in the morning.
  • Tell your landlord to turn off unnecessary exterior mall lights at night. Why should you pay to light the night sky?
  • Ask your landlord not to blast mall fans. Reducing the rotation speed of air conditioner fans to 80 per cent can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50 per cent.
  • Make sure your landlord is doing at least the minimum upkeep on vacant retail spaces. An empty store that isn't heated will leach heat from your store in the wintertime. Likewise, if there are any shared expenses between stores in your plaza, make sure the landlord stays sensible about how to light and cool empty stores.

Proceed With Caution
Kingsmill's Department Store in London, Ontario, a family-owned store in operation since 1865, strives to be energy efficient. The department store recently overhauled its lighting, a move that saves thousands in energy costs annually.
  Fred Kingsmill, Secretary Treasurer, says the overhaul reminded him of the importance of good lighting to a store.
  "You don't want the light to be artificial," he says. "Getting the right fixture and highlighting [with the lights] is something we are still experimenting with."
  Before you make changes to your store, carefully consider the results of your actions.
  For example:
  • If you replace a black tar roof with an insulated rooftop, do you know if the snow will melt as quickly in spring?
  • If you're locked into a short-term lease, ask yourself if it's worth purchasing a new energy efficient air conditioner for the store.
  • Switching incandescent bulbs with fluorescents? Find fixtures and light shades that will provide the same visual warmth to your merchandise as incandescent light.
Every cause has an effect. Before you make changes, make sure you'll get the effect you desire.
  "One size fluorescent bulb doesn't fit all," says Kingsmill.
More easy tips
Here are some general tips for reducing energy consumption:
  • Keep your doors closed. Some people say air conditioning the outside on a humid summer day is a smart way to pull shoppers off the street. Maybe that's true. What's certain is that you're wasting money and energy and earning a reputation as a wasteful store. Instead, download a poster from Retail Council of Canada's Web site at www.retailcouncil.org/environment/energy to let potential customers know that while your door may be closed, you are open for business. Earn a reputation as an energy-smart store at the same time.
  • Cool your store to 24 or 25 degrees Celsius.
  • Upgrade your air conditioning unit if it doesn't have free air capabilities that let you draw cool air in from outside and push out warm air from inside.
  • If you have a south or westerly facing window, consider putting a film on the window or a blind to block the sun from heating your store.
  • Draft-proof your windows and walls with caulking. The Clean Air Foundation's Cool Shops program says all the gaps and cracks in an older building can add up to a one-foot square hole. Test for drafts on a windy day and seal the holes. This can save up to 40 per cent on heating and cooling.
  • Make sure the doors on your fridges close all the way.
  • Commit to the regular maintenance of your equipment. Regular maintenance ensures optimal performance and energy efficiency.
  • Fix leaky faucets which can drain 95 litres from the water supply and cost you 7 kWh each month.
  • Keep your furnace filter, heating vents, the coils on your refrigerators and your light bulbs free of dirt.
  • Change furnace filters once a month. This can improve furnace efficiency by up to 50 per cent.

 

The Big Tip: Keep controls in place. You've developed a system that saves you money and helps the planet, now all you need to do is remain committed to the cause. Review your system periodically and look for new ways to curb consumption.

Additional Resources
 Did You Know?
Retail Council of Canada is committed to environmental stewardship and the goal of achieving a cleaner, healthier environment.

RCC's Environment Committee is actively engaged in pollution prevention initiatives and the development and implementation of sustainable waste diversion programs across the country. RCC members are encouraged to become involved with the committee. If you are interested in learning more, contact Rachel Kagan, National Manager, Government Relations (Environment) at (416) 922-0553, ext. 318 or e-mail: rkagan@retailcouncil.org.
Not a Member?
RCC has much to offer retailers by way of benefit programs that will SAVE YOU MONEY, research and information that will KEEP YOU COMPETITIVE and events that will allow you to NETWORK.

Please call our membership department or visit our Web site at www.retailcouncil.org for further details.

RCC represents more than 40,000 stores throughout Canada. RCC IS ABOUT DOING TOGETHER WHAT RETAILERS COULD NOT POSSIBLY DO ON THEIR OWN.

JOIN TODAY!

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