Fresh & Easy to Reduce Store Water Consumption 30 Percent
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market embarked on an plan to reduce water consumption in its stores by 30 percent through the use of EnviroTower water conditioning technology.
The EnviroTower system has already been installed in 37 Fresh & Easy locations and will be incorporated into all new stores, including the nine Fresh & Easy stores opening in California next month.
Reducing energy and water usage has been a major goal for Fresh & Easy. On average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30 percent less energy than a typical supermarket, and the company's refrigeration systems were using roughly 850,000 gallons of water per year. With the installation of the EnviroTower system, that usage has dropped to less than 600,000 gallons per year. Similar refrigeration systems typically use 2 million to 3 million gallons of water per year. The EnviroTower system also helps with energy efficiency, reducing the amount of energy Fresh & Easy uses on refrigeration by up to 5 percent -- helping save customers money while helping the environment.
"Incorporating EnviroTower's technology into our stores makes sense, not just as part of our commitment to the environment, but also help us save money so we can keep our prices low for our customers," said Steve Hagen, Fresh & Easy director of procurement and engineering. "Conserving water is a very important issue in California, Nevada and Arizona. We are happy to play our part in reducing our consumption of this valuable and limited resource."
EnviroTower provides a reliable, effective and economical alternative to traditional chemical water treatment for refrigeration and air conditioning cooling systems, according to the company. EnviroTower reduces fresh water use through a physical water conditioning system -- meaning water that is normally chemically treated and discharged to municipal sewage is used more efficiently. By keeping the water in the system clean and reducing harmful buildup, EnviroTower also improves energy efficiency.
"We are excited to see that our technology is as effective in the food retail environment as it is in larger commercial and institutional applications," said Paul Wickberg, EnviroTower's CEO. "Our technology can save retailers a significant amount of water and energy, especially considering that up to 50 percent of a food retail facility's energy use and 80 percent of the water use consumption is from the refrigeration and cooling system."