Move Enables Walmart to Cut Energy for Store Lighting by Another 40
Percent; Savings Support Company’s Everyday Low Prices
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- (Business Wire)
Walmart announced plans today to purchase energy-efficient LED ceiling
lighting fixtures for new supercenters in the United States, stores in
Asia and Latin America, and Asda locations in the United Kingdom. The
new fixtures will use 40 percent less energy than lighting sources
historically used in stores, and will help further the retailer’s goal
to reduce the kilowatt hour (kWh) per square foot of energy required to
power Walmart’s buildings globally 20 percent by 2020. This is Walmart’s
largest purchase of GE LED lighting to date, and the most recent example
of leadership from Walmart and GE to find and scale innovative,
energy-efficient lighting solutions.
“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.”
With the main sales floor lighting representing approximately 90 percent
of the total lighting usage in each building, this implementation will
reduce energy use per store by more than 5 percent in the U.S. alone.
The lights have a longer life span than traditional lighting fixtures
and also offer significant savings in maintenance costs.
Installation of the new GE LED ceiling lighting will kick off this month
at Asda, Walmart’s business in the U.K. In 2014 alone, Walmart and GE
project overall new stores and lighting energy savings compared to prior
lighting fixtures to total as follows:
- 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
- U.K.: 10 new stores; 45 - 51 percent energy savings
- U.S.: 30 new stores; 15 percent energy savings
“We’ve had a long and successful relationship with Walmart, increasing
our environmental efforts together,” said Jeff Immelt, GE Chairman and
CEO. “A leader in seeking energy efficiency in the retail industry,
Walmart’s energy-conscious focus allows the company to attain a
substantial cost savings in electricity. We value our longstanding
relationship with Walmart and are proud to work with them in reducing
their environmental impact.
Walmart and GE have a rich history of collaborating to develop lighting
products to meet Walmart’s needs. Walmart pioneered the use of LED
systems in the retail setting and was an early adopter of LED signage in
2003. In 2005, Walmart worked with GE to install what is believed to be
the first major rollout of an LED freezer case. Additionally, Walmart’s
store parking lots in the U.S. and abroad were among the first in the
industry to switch to LED lighting fixtures.
The move to LED ceiling lighting in the U.S. is expected to produce an
energy savings 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 kWh1). With 200 new Walmart stores adopting the new GE
LED ceiling lighting over the next two years, this amounts to a total
energy savings of 620 million kWh over the next 10 years — savings
Walmart expects to pass on to its customers through its everyday low
prices.
This expected total energy savings over the next ten years is equal to
eliminating 327,360 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions — or the
annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 68,000 passenger vehicles
or the energy use of nearly 30,000 American homes for one year.2
The decision to install GE LED lighting results from a pilot program at
Walmart’s first all-LED supercenter in South Euclid, Ohio, that was
launched in October 2013. This pilot allowed the company to gauge the
quality and efficiency of the GE lights and determine the return on
investment with LEDs. Featured in the stores will be a variety of GE
lighting technologies, with the Lumination™ IS Series Luminaires being
prominently used in the ceiling application. These fixtures are also
part of GE ecomagination, the company’s commitment to technology
solutions that save money and reduce environmental impact.
This increase in LED lighting installations in Walmart stores throughout
the world supports the company’s broader energy efficiency goals. As
another example, Walmart has undergone a program to replace current T5
fluorescent lights with LEDs throughout its distribution center network.
This effort, combined with the installation of more efficient liquid
circulation pumps for some refrigeration systems, led to a decrease of
more than 30 million kWh and a savings of more than $2 million. The full
retrofit of LEDs in the distribution center network is expected to be
complete in 2016.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online,
and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 245 million
customers and members visit our 11,302 stores under 71 banners in 27
countries and ecommerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2014
sales of over $473 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million
associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com
and http://www.samsclub.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best
technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in
energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering,
moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For
more information, visit the company's website atwww.ge.com.
About GE Lighting
GE Lighting invents with the vigor of its founder Thomas Edison to
develop energy-efficient solutions that change the way people light
their world in commercial, industrial, municipal and residential
settings. The business employs about 13,000 people in more than 100
countries, and sells products under the Reveal® and Energy Smart®
consumer brands, and Evolve™, GTx™, Immersion™, Infusion™, Lumination™,
Albeo™ and Tetra® commercial brands, all trademarks of GE. GE works on
things that matter to build a world that works better. For more
information, visit www.gelighting.com.
Sources:
1 - National average cost per kWh according to the U.S. Energy
Information Administration, http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/end_use.cfm#tabs_prices-3
2- EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html#results
Contacts:
Walmart Contact:
Susan Saronitman, 1-800-331-0085
news.walmart.com/reporter
or
GE
Contact:
Christopher Augustine, 216-502-6518
Christopher.augustine@ge.com
Source: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
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