Supermarkets have notoriously thin profit margins — usually in the range of 1-2 percent — and competition is fierce. That is why store owners and managers are always looking for ways to lower operating expenses, and their refrigeration systems can be good places to start.
The refrigeration system is the biggest energy user in supermarkets, accounting for about 40-60 percent of their electricity consumption. It can be expensive to buy new, higher-efficiency refrigeration equipment, which is why food retailers may be more interested in investing in energy-saving retrofits. This can be a very good idea financially, according to the Energy Star program, which estimates that in supermarkets, one dollar in energy savings is equivalent to increasing sales by $59.