Sainsbury’s “Carbon-Negative” Store Extension

The extension at the Sainsbury's Durham store, which opens today, will add 50% more space to the building, but energy required to run the new larger store, will fall by 10%.

29 Mar 2010 --- UK retailer Sainsbury's, says it has discovered a way to make one of its stores larger, while at the same time reducing the amount of energy it uses

The extension at the Sainsbury's Durham store, which opens today, will add 50% more space to the building, but energy required to run the new larger store, will fall by 10%.

The reduction has been brought about by a number of technologies including onsite renewable power generation and new, ground-breaking refrigeration technology. As the energy efficiency of the building is so much higher, and renewable energy is generated on-site, the carbon generated in building the extension will be neutralised after just two years.

Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury's commercial director, said: "It seems rather counterintuitive, but by adding this space to the building, we are actually reducing its overall environmental impact and we regard this as a great feat and a sign of things to come.

"By 2019, new legislation will mean that all new commercial developments will have to be zero carbon.

"This is clearly a massive challenge for business, but it is one that we have taken on with great enthusiasm. We feel it is important to establish leadership in this area because in the long-run, it'll reduce our costs and put us in a better position against our competitors."

Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council, added: "Existing buildings account for 17% of the UK's total carbon emissions and need to be in the front line of our efforts to tackle climate change.

"Sainsbury's ground-breaking Durham store shows that it is possible to grow your business - in this case increasing the size of the store by 50% - and still reduce net carbon emissions. While it's essential that we build the most efficient new buildings, the real challenge lies in the 98% that are already in use. Sainsburys is leading by example."

The new extension at the Durham store will generate its own renewable energy through a biomass boiler that burns wood pellets to generate electricity and heat. Sainsbury's is the first retailer to use this kind of boiler, which reduces the amount of energy needed from the grid and uses waste wood that would otherwise have been sent to landfill sites.

In addition, this will be the first extension to use CO2 refrigeration. Sainsbury's announced last November that it was beginning a planned phase out of F gas refrigeration in favour of the more environmentally responsible CO2. The move, which was hailed by Greenpeace as an industry-leading step forward, will reduce the company's carbon footprint by around a third.

The re-modelled store will harvest rainwater, which will help to bring about a 50% reduction in mains water usage. The extension will be constructed out of wooden panels rather than steel or glass, to reduce the carbon impact even further.