Asda stores in the UK are leading the way in a global fit out of LED lighting fixtures in the stores of its parent company Walmart. The fixtures are supplied by GE, and Walmart says they will use 40 per cent less energy than the lighting historically used in stores.
The project will start this month with Asda, where the fixtures will be used in ten new stores this year. Walmart says that sales floor lighting is around 90 per cent of each building's total lighting usage, and the move will reduce stores' energy use by 5 per cent just in the US. In the US the move to LEDs is expected to produce an energy saving of 340,000 kilowatt hours per store – equating to more than $34,000 in savings per year in each store (figured at 10.13 cents per kWh). In total 200 new Walmart stores will adopt the new GE LED ceiling lighting over the next two years, Walmart says this amounts to total energy savings of 620 million kWh over the next decade.
"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 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "LEDs have become an integral part of our energy efficiency model for our stores and play a key role in achieving our overall sustainability goals. Just as important, the energy cost savings coming from these innovations will help us maintain the low prices our customers depend on us to provide."
In store Walmart will use a range of GE lighting technologies, with Lumination IS Series luminaires being prominently used in ceiling applications.
Store locations for 2014 and the energy savings
Brazil: 30 store remodels; 41 percent energy savings
Central America: 10 new stores; 54 - 59 percent energy savings
China: 24 new stores, 16 store remodels; 42 percent energy savings
Mexico: 37 new stores; 45 percent energy savings
UK: 10 new stores; 45 - 51 percent energy savings
US: 30 new stores; 15 percent energy savings
