Omni Market Goes Green

by Martie Fiske
Originally published in Weston Town Crier, October 28, 2009

What would you do when the cost of electric power spikes and you are managing a supermarket with yards of exposed refrigerated products, and the precious cold air spills into the aisles day and night?

Suren Avedisian, general manager at Omni Foods, imagines thermal shades to pull down at night to contain the cold and cut his utility costs.

He also dreams of solar collectors on the Omni’s vast roof, or ways to capture the heat pumped from all that refrigeration below.

Sharing these dreams is NStar and their small business contractor, National Resource Management (NRM). They have been upgrading the energy efficiency of our local supermarket since 2004 when Omni undertook their major makeover.

These efficiency upgrades came at hard to believe bargain prices. NStar paid – and still offers to pay businesses – 70 percent of agreed on equipment and installation costs, with easy credit terms for the remaining 30 percent. Just let that deal sink in for a minute! (Homeowners can get similar discounts. Call MassSAVE at 1-866-527-7283 for a free audit.)

In 2004 lighting was the first easy target at Omni, and high efficiency fluorescents were installed, with payback a few years later. All retail stores must consider color and intensity in lighting their displays. Freezer sections, for example, need special attention since glass doors complicate access. Omni agreed with NStar to install strips of LEDs – the most efficient, coolest and longest lasting option on the general market – in the door frames. Motion detectors with timers were mounted on every freezer so that freezer lights would shut down if aisles were quiet after eight minutes.

Omni realized other savings by converting their ovens from electricity to natural gas, and replacing inefficient fans. All hot little halogens were retired also, and of course there are programmable thermostats to maintain appropriate ambient temperatures. Reductions in hot water use were realized with a new dishwasher.

Omni continues to work with NStar and NRM to plan the next big efficient thing for our favorite local market. Seem like a no-brainer investment? Call Augie Pimentel, small business program manager, at 781-441-8705 and see how a relationship with NStar could work for you. You might check out the state’s new "Green Communities" offers too.