Electricity
Electricity Usage (MwH)
Electricity Impacts (Tons CO2)
Highlights
In 2007 we launched several new energy efficiency projects to help decrease our GHG emissions. These included the installation of solar hot water heaters at three of our stores. We also incorporated features such as building-integrated photovoltaic cells into our new Boulder, Colo. store. Our new Bedford, Penn. distribution center was designed to be more energy efficient than the federal guidelines.
At our headquarters, we hired a project manager of energy and utilities to help the co-op identify operational efficiencies in our stores and facilities. This professional also researches opportunities for green power across the country and state and federal rebate programs for renewable energy efforts.
Challenges
While we made significant strides to become more efficient, many projects were launched late in the year and did not fully impact our annual usage. Also, it was difficult to overcome the increases associated with company growth. As a result we increased megawatt usage in 2007 by approximately 10 percent over 2006. We expect to have a similar challenge in 2008 as we add more new stores, and our new distribution center will be operational throughout the entire year.
In 2006 we computed the GHG impacts of electricity usage in Washington state based on the state average. However, we felt it would be more accurate to use the actual reported GHG impacts from each utility company because the local utility providers for our distribution center and headquarters facilities are considerably more dependent on fossil fuels than the rest of the Northwest. This change doubled the GHG emissions from these facilities.
In addition, we can not find enough qualified renewable energy offerings from local utilities to fulfill our current demands. We are working with utility companies to develop more options and we will make additional investments in on-site generation.
Methodology
REI's electricity consumption was calculated based on the kilowatt hours reported on electricity bills for our stores, headquarters and distribution centers. We used the EPA Power Profiler, and the location and energy use of each store and facility to compute the CO2 emissions.
A large percentage of our usage is in Washington State, and there are significant differences between utilities' generation mixes in the Northwest. As a result, we reported CO2 emissions for these facilities based on the CO2 emissions per kilowatt-hour for each utility as reported to the Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED) in 2005.
