Case study: Costcutter

The independent Costcutter retailer in Southport on Merseyside used Business Energy Insight™ to see just how much it could save. With long hours and seven day opening, the store is continuously lit inside and out and has several food and drinks chillers that are always on, but with simple changes to equipment and attitudes, its reduction in energy consumption has far exceeded expectations.

Location: Southport, Merseyside
Sector: Grocery retail
Floor area: 50 x 25 feet
Staff size: 9

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Costcutter - The results
Costcutter - The results - 1:34
We need to offset increasing running costs with any savings we can make."

Douglas Fawcett-Brown, Costcutter

Energy usage*


1 Dec 2011 - 29 Feb 2012

Key concerns

Everything that's plugged in

Several food and drinks chillers

Lighting inside and out.

Expectations

We need expert knowledge. I want Business Energy Insight™ to show me things that would never have crossed my mind.

Insights & Results

Key insights**

  • Heat could be better retained in the store by keeping external doors closed.
  • Up to a third of lighting costs are wasted by outdated fittings. Costcutter could save £930 a year by putting in new ones.
  • Efficiency could be improved by covering fridges out of hours and replacing freezer sills.

What are the savings?


£2468 a year***

Or 22% of annual energy consumption.

The last word....****

"At first I wondered if we could save much money doing such simple things. But the reduction in our energy consumption is much higher than I hoped for. I don't think businesses realise how much money they could save in the long-term if they put these energy-saving recommendations into place."

Douglas Fawcett-Brown, Costcutter

* Source: Business Energy Insight™ report for Douglas Fawcett-Brown, independent Costcutter retailer, 1 December 2011 – 29 February 2012.

** Source: Douglas Brown Costcutter Energy Audit Report produced by Utilitywise Ltd on 3 February 2012. Company profile information provided by Utilitywise Ltd.

*** Savings obtained from monitoring consumption data over a minimum period of 40 days and modelled over a 12 month period. Financial savings based on an estimated average p/kWh. Calculated savings are liable to differ under alternative monitoring periods.

**** Source: Taken from transcript of interview conducted with Costcutter.

All information on this website applies to this independent retailer only and not to the wider Costcutter Group.

Real business case studies - Costcutter