Convenience stores—your one-stop shop for readily available grab-and-go food and other non-food options. However, ensuring the safety and quality of these perishable products would require a reliable and robust cold chain infrastructure.
The cold chain refers to a meticulously controlled temperature-management system that spans the entire food supply network, from production and processing to storage, transportation, and retail display. For convenience stores, this translates to a network of specialized equipment like refrigerators, freezers, and ice machines.
What does this mean? This reliance on the cold chain means convenience stores must consider implementing sustainability into their everyday operations. Take 7-Eleven and Wawa, for example.
- 7-Eleven partnered with the app “Too Good To Go” to reduce food waste from items nearing expiration dates by allowing customers to purchase discounted food bundles.
- Wawa invested in LED lighting and energy-efficient refrigeration across its stores to reduce energy consumption. Additionally, some Wawa convenience stores already have solar panels installed, promoting renewable energy use.
These initiatives are just examples of what we at GlacierGrid strive to support. How exactly do we do that? Before we start fluttering our solutions catalog, let’s talk about why energy efficiency is essential and how it can contribute to consistent savings and profits for your convenience store.
What are the common energy consumption-related issues convenience stores face?
The convenience store industry operates on tight margins. This means the difference between the cost of goods sold and their selling price is relatively small. Additionally, expenses for continuously operating can snowball, as convenience stores rely on many energy-consuming equipment and appliances—such as their refrigeration units and lighting.
Here’s a breakdown of a convenience store’s average energy consumption according to DSO Electric:
And like icing on an expensive cake you didn’t order but have to pay for, there are hidden energy consumption costs your convenience store incurs right under your nose—further skyrocketing your energy bills.
From inefficient refrigeration units and lighting to idle equipment, these hidden costs, directly and indirectly, impact your store’s bottom line—stunting its growth and hindering profitability.
What can GlacierGrid do for your convenience store?
We’re sure you’ve always wondered, “My convenience store’s energy bills could be lower…” GlacierGrid is here to help you put that thought into action with tangible results.
10-20%, that’s the energy savings our solutions can guarantee your convenience store will generate after implementation. Here’s how:
Reliable monitoring with long-range, wall-penetrating connectivity
We help give you peace of mind with reliable monitoring technology. Never miss out on crucial information that could mean the difference between safeguarded inventory or full-blown inventory loss.
With GlacierGrid Monitoring, you can expect:
- 24/7 temperature and humidity monitoring
- 4G cellular connection included; no WiFi needed
- 1200 feet of wall-penetrating connectivity
- Free shipping & no hidden fees
- Easy, user-friendly dashboard
- Custom alerts to keep you updated
It’s all about feeding you with the critical data you need, anytime and anywhere, to help you make time-sensitive decisions on the fly and prevent unnecessary costs your store could’ve easily avoided.
Conveniently condensed and streamlined energy management
The best part of modern energy management is automation. Our GlacierGrid Energy solution helps you take full advantage of that automation, fine-tuning your HVAC and refrigeration systems accordingly to adjust to real-time energy consumption patterns—maximizing your convenience store’s operational energy efficiency.
In addition to installing our reliable remote sensors into your refrigeration units, we’ll install our ever-vigilant smart thermostat to help you monitor and control your HVAC system—all of which you can find centralized in a user-friendly dashboard.
Feel free to check out these case studies to learn about how these solutions helped our partners in the foodservice sector with their refrigeration and HVAC operations:
We can boil down the general strategies that helped them and the benefits they gained to the following:
- Implementing advanced energy-saving practices and technology that go beyond the surface of energy management.
- Leveraging automation to reduce the tediousness of manual temperature logging.
- Reliable 24/7 surveillance of refrigeration unit storage environments for peace of mind and inventory security.
Cut costs without cutting corners—get the GlacierGrid advantage
Powering our drive to develop and continuously improve our energy-saving strategies and tools is our passion to positively impact our environment.
The cold chain is a significant contributor to climate change, so we figured why not help businesses that rely on the cold chain transition to more sustainable methods of safeguarding the lifeblood of their industry, be it food or medicine, and ultimately grow more sustainably in the process.
We want to help your convenience store achieve profitable sustainability, maximizing its lifespan and attractiveness to today’s consumer market.
And it starts with reliable and accurate monitoring—book a demo with our team today!
