In addition to energy and cost savings from the lighting project, Schmidt had a hunch that the upgrades would also improve the look of the store’s interior and create a safer, more welcoming shopping experience for his customers.
“I figured LED lighting would brighten up the store to make it more customer friendly,” he said. “A lot of customers have complimented it and noticed the difference.”
While Schmidt hopes he can find resources and partnerships to invest in a larger remodel project for the store in the years ahead, he has looked into other ways he can save energy and improve the shopping experience in the meantime. Since completing the recent sales floor lighting retrofit, Schmidt also replaced lighting in the store’s bathrooms, coolers, and outside security system with LEDs.
Schmidt has found success with these lighting upgrades and recommends other rural grocery stores consider these projects as low-hanging fruit.
“Upgrading lighting is a big improvement for stores. Not only is it cleaner and saves energy, the lighting is better and customers appreciate the improvements,” he said.
With the completion of Winthrop Market’s lighting projects, Schmidt has started exploring other energy efficiency upgrades, including the possibility of adding a new, more efficient bunker freezer and other refrigeration projects. For any energy efficiency project a rural grocery store explores, Schmidt recommends weighing both its costs and benefits.
“I try to look at the long run—what a project costs me and what it will save,” Schmidt said.
