As local retailers continue to seek ways of improving the efficiency of their stores, Scotmid Co-operative has unveiled its new energy saving store in Moredun in Edinburgh – one of the most innovative major sustainability retrofits in the UK.
The store has been fitted with a range of state-of-the-art technologies to reduce energy consumption. At the heart of the store’s eco innovations is a sophisticated building management system, which uses real-time data to make efficient use of its resources – such as lighting, heating and refrigeration.
The store’s lighting uses special sensors near the windows to automatically adjust to natural light levels outside – switching off when it is sunny and turning on when it is dark to save energy. The lights have also been upgraded from fluorescent to LED dimmable fittings, to reduce energy consumption, and will switch off when certain areas of the store are not in use.
Efficient heating and heat recovery are other key parts of Scotmid Moredun’s green credentials. The heat generated by the fridges is recovered to help heat the building, while an air curtain blows out ambient air to stop heat from escaping when the store doors open.
All of the fridges have doors to improve their energy efficiency, and are programmed to switch off when alcohol is not for sale to conserve energy. Even the store’s ATM has been fitted with energy efficient LED lights.
The project has received support from Zero Waste Scotland, through its Resource Efficient Scotland initiative; Post Office Limited; and contractors CBES, Climate Electrical Services Ltd, Curve Energy Ltd, KB Refrigeration and Thermal Image UK.
CBES, Scotmid’s building contractor, minimised the waste during the construction, and recycled and reclaimed as much as possible to reduce the carbon footprint.
John Brodie, Chief Executive of Scotmid Co-operative said: “We are immensely proud to be opening our first eco store in Moredun. We hope that it will be a model for what an energy efficiency retrofit can achieve for retailers, and we are very thankful to Resource Efficient Scotland and our other contributors for their support of the project.”
Iain Gulland, Director of Zero Waste Scotland said: “I’m delighted that Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Scotland team have been able to support Scotmid with this ground-breaking project. Using resources more efficiently can save businesses significant sums of money and make their operations more profitable, and it also reduces their environmental impact. Scotmid has really embraced these opportunities, and the Resource Efficient Scotland team have helped them to identify the most advanced resource efficiency technology available to create a truly ‘smart’ store that controls heating, lighting, refrigeration and energy use in the most efficient way possible.”
He added: “Taking this approach with an existing store is a genuinely innovative move, as while retailers can easily specify new build stores to high efficiency standards, it is considerably more challenging with an older building. As one of the first retrofits of an existing store of this kind in the UK, this project is a bold example of what can be done to embrace resource efficiency, and I hope that many other businesses are inspired by the store and will contact Resource Efficient Scotland for advice and support on how they can replicate these measures in their own buildings, old and new.”
Stephen Russell, Head of Construction for CBES added: “CBES have now been working in partnership with Scotmid for over six years and are delighted to have been the main contractor for the Energy saving store in Moredun. As one of the UK’s leading contractors in the retail sector we are proud of our innovative energy saving solutions and are very pleased to have overseen the many initiatives that Scotmid ensured were delivered for this particular store. The amount of energy saving initiatives delivered is a testimony to Scotmid’s green credentials and has created a real benchmark for energy saving in retail.”
