Front Street Market

The Front Street Market is a one-story grocery retail building with an unfinished basement. The main floor contains a commercial kitchen, office space, retail space, and a deli. The MREP team audited Front Street Market and identified several energy-saving opportunities for refrigeration and lighting systems.

There are 11 coolers, one walk-in cooler for beverages, one large freezer, and one walk-in freezer throughout the building, each using their own compressor. The HVAC system consists of two furnaces and a unit heater in each of the front rooms of the store. Each furnace is tied to a compressor for cooling. A conversion to high-efficiency compressors  would increase the energy efficiency of these systems, particularly during summer months.

The market should also install variable-frequency drives (VFD) to existing cooler and freezer motors. The measure would save 30 to 60% of the motor’s energy usage, depending on the size and frequency of use. Additionally, there are two service doors located on the north and south sides of the beer cooler, and each door is slightly drafty causing a loss in cooling. MREP recommended replacement of the deteriorated weather stripping on these doors to prevent cooling loss.

Lighting within the building is comprised of 20 watt CFLs; 4-foot, 30-watt fluorescent tubes; and 8-foot 138-watt fluorescent tubes. Converting these lights to approved LEDs reduces the energy consumption in the building by 6,762 kWh annually.

LEDs Cost: $1,663
Utility Incentives: $916
Net Cost: $747
Annual Bill Savings: $762
Annual Energy Savings: 6,762 kWh
Simple Payback with Energy Savings:  0.98 years