MEDINA, Minn. (December 27, 2017) – kWh360 today announced the general availability of its second software application for managing energy efficiency in supermarkets. The software, called 360-CheckList, helps reduce energy waste for store equipment that plugs into wall outlets.
Energy consumed by plug-in appliances consumes up to 15% to 20% of the total energy use of a supermarket, said Abtar Singh, founder and chief executive officers of kWh360.
“Store equipment often draws energy when it’s not in productive use,” Singh said. “When you consider all the wrappers, scales, chicken warmers, kitchen hoods, walk-in coolers, computers, and room lights, it adds ups to a big source of waste.”
This form of energy use, called “Plug-Load,” has been hard for retail chains to manage. That’s because store staff often forget to turn off the equipment when the they close a department or shut down the store at the end of the business day. Or they may turn equipment on early in the morning, rather than waiting until the equipment is needed for production.
“Chicken warmers are a good example,” Singh said. “They’re rarely in use before late morning. But staff often turn them on when they arrive to open the store around 5:00 a.m.”
If a 100-store chain neglects to turn off just 15% of its plug load, it can easily waste a few million dollars a year in energy, Singh said.
It’s hard to control plug load because people forget, and it’s hard to keep reminding them. Staff turnover is high, and it’s hard to keep retraining people.
The energy waste isn’t visible until someone receives the bill for electricity.
360-CheckList is a smartphone app that reminds staff when to turn equipment on and off at the right times throughout the day.
Supermarket chains can customize the software for each store.
The app then shows store managers which equipment has been turned on and off at the right times each day.
It also alerts managers when equipment has been left on or has been turned on too early.
The app helps make in-store staff more accountable for energy savings.
The cloud-based application operates on iPhones and Android devices.
kWh360 released a different energy-saving software application for supermarkets in 2016. That application, called 360-Cloud, shows multi-site organizations their best opportunities to reduce energy use. It also runs on iPhones and Android devices.
For more on 360-CheckList and kWh360, please visit http://www.kWh360.com/.
About kWh360 Inc.
kWh360 (www.kwh360.com) provides software applications and services that help organizations manage the energy efficiency of their buildings across many locations. The company offers tools for building owners, energy consultants and providers of energy-efficiency technologies. Software tools from kWh360 help their users conduct energy surveys. They also perform computer modeling and payback calculations, and they facilitate collection of utility rebates.
Media Contact:
Abtar Singh, abtar@kWh360.com
Phone: 651-605-1093