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== Overview ==
== Overview ==


The mission of Wildberries Marketplace is to satisfy their customers' demands by offering a broad choice of quality products, superior service and exceptional ambiance, while contributing to the community they serve and providing enhanced job satisfaction for their workforce.<ref name="Wildberries Website">[http://www.wildberries.com Wildberries Marketplace Website]</ref> This supermarket has been profitable and successful for fourteen out of the fifteen years its been around by continuously appealing to customers and the local Arcata community. For local customers, Wildberries offers both a wide array of both locally grown organic foods, as well as corporate products like Coca-Cola and Post Cereals, making it a crossover grocery store. For the local and global community, Wildberries strives to keep a low environmental impact.<ref name="Phil Interview">Interview with Wildberries General Manager Phil Riccord, held on October 27, 2009.</ref> By installing lighting retrofits in February of 2008,<ref name="Audit">[http://www.redwoodenergy.org/Index.asp RCEA] energy audit for Wildberries Marketplace by Mike Kowalski. Audit performed October 17, 2007.</ref> the store reduced their energy consumption and spending, thus appealing to the local community, contributing to the global community, and ensuring continued fiscal stability.
The mission of Wildberries Marketplace is to satisfy their customers' demands by offering a broad choice of quality products, superior service and exceptional ambiance, while contributing to the community they serve and providing enhanced job satisfaction for their workforce.<ref name="Wildberries Website">[http://www.wildberries.com Wildberries Marketplace Website]</ref> This supermarket has been profitable and successful for fourteen out of the fifteen years its been around by continuously appealing to customers and the local Arcata community. For local customers, Wildberries offers both a wide array of both locally grown organic foods, as well as corporate products like Coca-Cola and Post Cereals, making it a crossover grocery store.<ref name="Wildberries Website"></ref> For the local and global community, Wildberries strives to keep a low environmental impact.<ref name="Phil Interview">Interview with Wildberries General Manager Phil Riccord, held on October 27, 2009.</ref> By installing lighting retrofits in February of 2008,<ref name="Audit">[http://www.redwoodenergy.org/Index.asp RCEA] energy audit for Wildberries Marketplace by Mike Kowalski. Audit performed October 17, 2007.</ref> the store reduced their energy consumption and spending, thus appealing to the local community, contributing to the global community, and ensuring continued fiscal stability.


==== Building History ====
==== Building History ====

Revision as of 18:42, 10 December 2009

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Figure 1: Wildberries Marketplace's exterior sign, recently retrofitted with energy-efficient CFL flood lights.

Wildberries Marketplace is a popular grocery store in Arcata, California, and has been operational for over fifteen years. In early 2008, the store had a vast majority of its lighting retrofitted with the help of the not-for-profit organization Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) with new and more efficient CFL bulbs, saving the store energy and money.

Overview

The mission of Wildberries Marketplace is to satisfy their customers' demands by offering a broad choice of quality products, superior service and exceptional ambiance, while contributing to the community they serve and providing enhanced job satisfaction for their workforce.[1] This supermarket has been profitable and successful for fourteen out of the fifteen years its been around by continuously appealing to customers and the local Arcata community. For local customers, Wildberries offers both a wide array of both locally grown organic foods, as well as corporate products like Coca-Cola and Post Cereals, making it a crossover grocery store.[1] For the local and global community, Wildberries strives to keep a low environmental impact.[2] By installing lighting retrofits in February of 2008,[3] the store reduced their energy consumption and spending, thus appealing to the local community, contributing to the global community, and ensuring continued fiscal stability.

Building History

In 1956, a Safeway occupied the current Wildberries lot. When Safeway moved on to a new location, the lot became home to a locally owned independent market, named Larry's. The new market chose to use the same building, including the old refrigeration, lighting, and heating systems. In 1994 the founder and current president of Wildberries, Phil Ricord, bought out Larry's for $175,000 and demolished most of the supermarket, keeping only parts of the warehouse for the new supermarket that currently stands on the lot. A new lighting system was installed in 1994, but the original refrigeration compressors from 1956 are still being used today.[2]

Present Structural Considerations

Since the initial Safeway market was constructed, the entire building has been completely remodeled twice. The current marketplace now has computers instead of typewriters, more refrigerators, and more lighting to satisfy shoppers.[2] These various upgrades made the store consume over 68 MwH/month during the hot summer months, when the refrigerators use more energy. The refrigeration and lighting systems are the most energy intensive aspects of the store.[3]

Lighting Retrofit

Wildberriesbacklights.jpg

Supermarkets require more lighting than most people notice when shopping inside.[4] Not only do the isles and cashiers have to be lit well enough for customers to read various labels at any angle, but the warehouse and management sections of the market are almost as big as the shopping section. Also, during the night, the exterior of the store remains visible for security and marketing reasons. Though Wildberries is operational only until midnight, there are employees present twenty-four hours a day unloading, restocking, and organizing groceries.[2]

Before the RCEA helped retrofit the lighting, Wildberries was using incandescent light bulbs. In early 2008, nearly all of the lights in the store were replaced with energy efficient fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lamps. In many cases, not only the bulbs had to be replaced, but the fixtures and ballasts had to be changed as well. RCEA helped Wilberries contract Trinidad Electric to retrofit a vast majority of the store, including all of the offices, external flood lighting, shopping section, warehouse, garage, and even the inside of the refrigerators and freezers. Also included in the retrofit was the addition of several motion sensors.[3] Since there are very few employees working after store hours, it would be inefficient to keep all of the lights on cosntantly. The use of motion sensors ensures that the lights are only on when needed.

Retrofit Effects

When the RCEA initially performed an energy audit for Wildberries, they estimated that the store would save approximately 27,548 kWhr/yr, which would save the company $3,579.10 a year. However, it was unknown whether this estimate was accurate.


By looking at the graph on the right (C5), you(W5) can see an immediate decline in energy usage by the store (not obvious). Though the usage eventually went up (of what? W3), it remained lower than the usage from the same month of the previous year. After comparing the 2007 usage rates before the retrofits with the 2008 rates after the new lighting was installed, it  (W3) is revealed that Wildberries saved about 15360 KWHr/year(commas). They also ended up saving $3804.57 / year by installing the new CFLs (see above comment, Is that from April to April? A7 ). The energy Wildberries saved meant that they reduced their Carbon Dioxide emissions were reduced by about 8,325 lbs / year. To put that number in perspective, that is like taking a small car permanently off the road. [5]

Rceawildberriesgraph2.jpg


RCEA's Estimated Savings (A1)
  • 27,548 kWhr/year
  • $3,579.10 /year
  • 14,422 lbs/year CO2[6]


Actual Savings
  • 15,360 kWhr/year
  • $3,804.57 /year(why did they save more money than predicted but not as much energy?  did the rates change?  the ratios should be about the same even with the compressor/heater issue)
  • 8,325 lbs/year CO2


Clearly(W8), these numbers conflict with the RCEA projections, as their audit estimated more energy savings, but less financial incentive. This is because at the same time the lighting fixtures were installed, Wildberries also installed a new heating system. Previously, the store had used the heat produced from the compressors to heat the store, but employees and customers demanded more warmth. Thus, while the electricians were installing the new lighting fixtures, they also installed a new heating system. The system is responsible for the inaccuracy in the original audit (not inaccurate, it just wasn't accounted for), but does not mean that the audit was incorrect. It (W3) is highly probable that the lighting retrofit saved Wildberries 27,548 kWhr/yr, but the bill only reflected a fraction of those savings because of the new heating system. Also, the price of electricity fluctuated before and after the retrofit, rendering the predictions inaccurate, in Wildberries' favor (discuss this first and in more detail).[7]


The customers and employees were highly satisfied with the new heating system (according to who?), but barely even noticed the lighting retrofits.[8]


Further Considerations

Wildberriescflinside.jpg

Phil Riccord, the president, founder, and general manager of Wildberries, was highly pleased with the retrofitting process, and had an overall positive experience with both the RCEA and Trinidad Electric. He stated that he originally planned to install a Photovoltaic system on the roof of Wildberries, it proved to be financially unwise. However, Ricord still plans on installing the system in the near future, and plans to involve RCEA in that project as well.


According to Riccord, if the cost savings that the RCEA implemented were not present, he probably would not have had the motivation necessary to retrofit the lighting. He felt that the project was an excellent idea once presented to him, and quickly made it happen when he realized how energy and cost saving the retrofit would be.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Wildberries Marketplace Website
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Interview with Wildberries General Manager Phil Riccord, held on October 27, 2009.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 RCEA energy audit for Wildberries Marketplace by Mike Kowalski. Audit performed October 17, 2007.
  4. Anonymous Wildberry customer and employee opinions. Performed October 27, 2009.
  5. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Calculator.
  6. RCEA energy audit for Wildberries Marketplace by Mike Kowalski. Audit performed October 17, 2007.
  7. Interview with Wildberries General Manager Phil Riccord, held on October 27, 2009.
  8. Anonymous Wildberry customer and employee opinions. Performed October 27, 2009.
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