Brilliant Reduction

Customers shopping the newest BrandsMart USA in Buford, Ga., for the best prices on more than 50,000 electronics products and appliances are probably unaware that the 118,000-sq.-ft. store is among the “greenest” retail sites in the country. But the store, one of 10 operated by the Hollywood, Fla.-based company, has earned 32 LEED points and is awaiting LEED Silver certification.

The building’s ground-up construction included recycled materials and eco-friendly features, and was designed to make best use of natural resources. Recycling water and collecting rainwater from the rooftop reduces consumption; waterless toilets and drought-resistant landscaping also contribute to water savings, which company officials anticipate will be 500,000 gallons each month.

Lighting is the largest energy-related expense for retailers, according to a 2008 U.S. Department of Energy study that estimates saving $1 in energy costs has the same bottom-line impact as increasing sales by $80.

At the Buford store, large skylights open, close and direct light for efficient daylight use; as sunlight increases, sensors automatically turn off light fixtures to reduce energy loads. Low-wattage LEDs produce light intensity similar to T5 fluorescents while using only half the energy and generating significantly less heat; they are also expected to last three times as long.

Setting the example
Larry Levine, BrandsMart’s vice president of operations, says the company takes “a pragmatic approach toward sustainable construction. Any element has to have a payback of less than five years [and] … has to be easy to integrate into our operations. Any time we can use sustainable methods and save money, we would have to be foolish to ignore it.”

BrandsMart has incorporated LEDge Light shelf lighting from Terrell, Texas-based Madix, and the investment is already a bright spot on the company’s ledger. Energy usage at the Buford store is roughly half that at the nearby (and only slightly larger) Doraville, Ga., unit, Levine says.

Using the Department of Energy study’s electricity formula, BrandsMart’s anticipated savings of $200,000 is roughly equivalent to increasing sales by $1.6 million. The same DOE study also finds that while LEDs are not yet common in retail display applications, controlled experiments have shown an increase in “positive consumer emotions and greater handling of products.”

Levine says future BrandsMart units will emulate the sustainability features of the Buford location, which is likely to “become our prototypical store.”