Is Your C-Store Efficient and Up-To-Date?

“Convenience stores don't just serve communities — they invest in them. With this large investment, they have a stake in the community's success and seek to enhance it”[i]. As a c-store owner, there is constant pressure to have a business that is up-to-date. This can cost you a lot of time and money. Luckily, there are easy and cost-effective ways that you can improve your store without going over your budget. The best way to do this is through different energy saving and efficiency strategies. Not only will this give your store an update that will appeal to customers, but it will boost your profits long-term by lowering your energy and water costs.

Improving Your Building

Your building is just as important as your products. Taking simple steps to ensure the best customer experience will draw in the right customers. Consider different options to help with noise control. Many shoppers want a quick and pleasant experience when grabbing a snack or their favorite beverage. If they are bombarded with loud noise it could ruin their experience.

Another way to improve customer experience is by making sure the customer can come in and out quickly. You can do this by having a floor plan that encourages smooth foot traffic along with easy access shelving. If it is hard to navigate your store, shoppers can become easily stressed out or annoyed. You should be doing everything possible to make sure the customer can locate products quickly and easily.

Efficiency Strategies

When looking to upgrade your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit, look for options that are integrated into your lighting controls. This will help hold down energy costs long-term and give you more control over your store. You may also want to consider an automated system that features programmable thermostats. As an owner, you are extremely busy and may not have the time to always be checking the temperature of the store. This makes an automated or programmable thermostat extremely useful to make sure your store is always at an efficient temperature. Using facility controls for heating, lighting, and temperature can also monitor and report energy consumption as well as provide alerts when there are potential issues like equipment that is out of temperature range[ii].

Another helpful device can be automatic soap, water, or paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms. This will give each customer the right amount of product, eliminating excess waste, and saving you money on these complimentary products.

Lighting That Costs Less

“On average, lighting and refrigeration account for 75% of the electricity usage in a grocery or convenience store”[iii]. Since lighting and refrigeration use most of the electricity in your store, there are a few things you can change or update to help with overall costs. One way is to change your illuminated outdoor signs. Although it may draw in more customers at night, the cost of running these signs may not be worth it. Having non-lit signs, with the same message can have the same effect without the additional costs.

When you are arranging your store for smoother foot-traffic, consider leaving the windows unblocked. You may be tempted to stack up drinks or other items, but this will block the natural light that comes into your store. It is much more efficient to use this free and natural lighting during the day, and save some of the brighter overhead lights for after dark. When using the overhead lights, consider changing fixtures to energy saving bulbs once your current lights burn out.

Refrigerate the Right Way

The biggest cost of running refrigeration in your store is the lights that illuminate the items that they display. You can cut down on these costs by switching to LED lights. Experts agree that LEDs have helped c-stores save costs on coolers[iv]. Along with better energy saving illuminations, you may want to add occupancy sensors to freezers and refrigerated display cases. This will turn off lights when customers leave the area, instead of staying on all day long.

Also, make sure your refrigerator door seals work properly, and consider investing in automatic door closers[v]. This way if a customer is in a rush and neglects to completely close the cooler, your refrigerator will not use extra energy to constantly re-cool. These upgrades will also help to extend your equipment life, which saves you on huge costs in the future.

Overall, these tips and strategies will help you reduce energy and water costs, increase customer and employee comfort, enhance light quality, extend equipment life, and contribute to a more sustainable community.

[i] http://www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/corporate-store-operations/c-store-industry-investing-billions-store-remodels

[ii] http://www.cstoredecisions.com/2016/11/03/facility-controls-can-boost-bottom-line/

[iii] https://www.pge.com/en/mybusiness/save/smbblog/article/6-products-that-help-reduce-energy-costs-in-grocery-and-convenience-stores.page?redirect=yes

[iv] http://www.cstoredecisions.com/2011/05/16/lighting-to-right/

[v] https://www.pge.com/en/mybusiness/save/smbblog/article/6-products-that-help-reduce-energy-costs-in-grocery-and-convenience-stores.page?redirect=yes