Supermarket saving's a big winner

Energy-efficiency work at Wanganui's Pak'nSave supermarket has won an award and will be copied by other stores in the Foodstuffs group.

The work cut the store's energy use by 40 per cent and was done in consultation with ECOsystems, a Wellington energy-efficiency company.

The project won the Small to Medium Business category in yesterday's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority awards.

Foodstuffs is now looking to get ECOsystems' help to reduce energy use at another 30 to 60 stores.

Wanganui Pak'nSave owner-operator Gareth Jones instigated the work because his then 5-year-old son, Elliot, asked what he was doing to help the environment.

Changes to lighting and refrigeration saved most of the energy.

The project included installing skylights to bring in natural light, automatic lighting sensors and controls, using outdoor air for "free cooling" during summer and putting double-glazed doors on fridges and freezers.

Authority chief executive Mike Underhill said the work was courageous and the small business punched above its weight. The project also made economic sense: "It delivers to the bottom line, brings a competitive edge and takes pressure off our national supply."

Air New Zealand won the authority's Supreme Award. It saved $540 million in energy and cut CO2 emissions by 142,000 tonnes a year.

Altogether, the 90 entrants saved or generated $600 million worth of energy, and avoided emitting 1.7 million tonnes of CO2.