Walmart aims to rollback energy usage with LEDs

DAILY NEWS | By: Hardware Merchandising staff | 2014-04-15

BENTONVILLE, Ark.—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will be rolling out energy-efficient LED lighting at new supercentres it is opening in the U.S., Asia, Latin America and at its Asda stores in the U.K.

To do this, the company has made a big purchase of LEDs from GE, which use 40 per cent less energy than traditional lighting, and will help cut the amount of energy Walmart uses to power these locations by 20 per cent.

“We have worked to find and scale energy-efficient LED lighting solutions that are cost-effective and high-quality, and now working with GE, we’re paving the way to make this a mainstream solution for the retail industry,” said Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart.
LEDs last longer and are easier to maintain, Walmart notes and “have become an integral part of our energy efficiency model for our stores and play a key role in achieving our overall sustainability goals,” according to McMillon.

In the U.S. alone, the switch to LED ceiling lighting is expected to save US$34,000 per store.

Walmart’s implementation plans are as follows:

• Brazil: 30 store remodels with 41 per cent energy savings
• Central America: 10 new stores with 54 to 59 per cent energy savings
• China: 24 new stores, 16 store remodels with 42 per cent energy savings
• Mexico: 37 new stores; 45 per cent energy savings
• U.K.: 10 new stores with 45 to 51 per cent energy savings
• U.S.: 30 new stores with 15 per cent energy savings

Six Canadian Walmart supercentres have already been retrofitted with LED lighting by Ecolight LED Solutions.

Back in November 2013, Walmart’s Stratford, Ont. location became its first fully LED-lit store in Canada following a successful pilot at the retailer’s Brampton North location.

Walmart said the change to LED lighting would cut energy use by 28 per cent and result in savings of $18,000 per year.

“As we continue to work towards our goal of operation with 100 per cent renewable energy, it’s important for us to also look at ways to reduce or avoid energy usage wherever possible, said Jim Thompson, executive vice-president of real estate and store development for Walmart Canada, at the time of the announcement.

Six other Walmart stores in Ontario have been retrofitted by Ecolight LED Solutions including ones in Oakville, Vaughan, Maple, Whitby and another location in Brampton.

The Canadian retrofits were completed by EcoLight LED Solutions, based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.