Express – Tanvi Umarje – 2016

Goals 

Express, one of the largest specialty retail apparel chains in the U.S., enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Tanvi Umarje to help identify energy saving opportunities and develop a strategic energy management program for its store fleet. The company needed a baseline understanding of current energy use and costs in the store fleet before energy efficiency upgrades could be established.

Solutions

Tanvi collected and analyzed energy use data for a select group of stores, interviewed facilities staff and visited select stores to identify opportunities to reduce energy use in Express stores. Through this work, Tanvi concluded that by installing automated system controls as well as retrofitting the existing halogens and metal halides with LED lamps, the company could significantly reduce its energy use. Tanvi also saw an opportunity to develop an employee engagement plan for educating store associates about energy savings and responsible behavior, helping to increase overall program effectiveness.

Potential Impact

Over their lifetime, Tanvi’s recommendations are expected to save up to 20% of annual energy costs, up to 40 million kilowatt hours of electricity, and up to 27,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. By implementing Tanvi’s recommendations, Express should be able to accomplish energy efficient operations for its store fleet.