Home Depot Conserves Its Energy
By George Anderson
In what it calls a response to “the government’s call to conserve energy,” The Home Depot has announced voluntary measures it plans to take to reduce energy consumption in its stores while providing increased education on what consumers can do to reduce the resources they use.
“As we help empower consumers to reduce their energy costs through products and services, we also believe it is right for us to reduce our company’s own consumption and help contribute to the country’s energy conservation efforts at this time,” said Bob Nardelli, chairman, president & CEO of The Home Depot in a released statement.
The DIY chain has said it plans on reducing the use of ceiling lights in stores that have skylights and it also intends to cut back by five hours a day on illuminating lighting displays.
By taking these steps alone, The Home Depot said it will save enough energy “to power 17,400 homes per month.”
The actions being taken within the chain’s stores in the U.S. and Canada are in addition to previous efforts, including retrofitting stores with T5 fluorescent lighting, converting to LED store signs and using low-watt bulbs in lighting displays. Home Depot has also made changes in the design and construction of new stores since 2003 that the company claims has achieved an average energy savings of 34 percent per store over previously constructed units.
In addition to its own conservation measures, Home Depot plans to offer further education on saving energy to its shoppers. At 2 p.m. on every Sunday in September, stores will demonstrate how consumers can save money on energy bills.
Consumers can also go online at www.homedepot.com/energy for a free home energy-efficiency audit to see where they may need to make changes in their homes.
Moderator’s Comment: Discuss the energy conservation selling opportunity. What do you think of The Home Depot’s strategy emphasizing its own efforts
and its ability to assist customers looking to reduce their energy consumption? –
George Anderson – Moderator
*Our* government said that? OK, I’ll play along…. In any case, HD is cutting costs–smart move. HD is getting some good PR out of cutting costs–smarter move. HD can market some of the strategies like fluorescent and LED lighting, skylights, maybe some solar panels, insulation, high-efficiency appliances, etc. to consumers, using its own efforts as a demonstration–even smarter move!
Nice sentiments from Home Depot, but none of this takes much courage on its part. How about putting solar-electric panels on store rooftops that actually generate power, instead of just conserving it? How about marketing solar-electric equipment for home owners at the same time, thus contributing to the creation of a market for this technology?
Big retailers like HD, Costco and Wal-Mart are in a position to help jump-start the adoption of this emerging power technology. If they act boldly, the market will expand, unit costs will decline, a world-leading industry will emerge, and these retailers will earn greater profits while contributing to the stability and security of our nation.
Shoppers might really care about energy savings if they were reflected in perceived lower prices — emphasis on perceived. A couple of years ago in S. California, many stores turned off alternating rows of lights, and shoppers commented favorably. As for Home Depot, I’d prefer shopping in a warmer store than not seeing the itty-bitty widgets I’m buying. Some years ago, HD stores were not cooled as much as they now are, and perhaps they should revert to those standards.
Sounds like a cost cutting move. I agree with the person who said adding solar panels would benefit more. Home Depot stores in general are dark compared to Lowe’s. Turning off the lights will not help. Saving energy is great but not at the cost of losing sales.
Way to go, Home Depot! A responsible corporate member of our community is in our midst. Other retailers could benefit from the same actions.
Some utilities have energy conservation programs, including rebates, that would fit nicely with promotions for HD. HD could also use promotional materials for utility bill stuffers.
Another idea would be for HD to partner with local ESCOs to save their customers’ utility costs. In many areas, customers can buy electricity and natural gas through energy companies, and ask their utilities to simply bill for energy transmission. The energy companies (ESCOs) need marketing partners, and HD would make a great partner. ESCOs could sign up customers by holding seminars and staffing tables in HD stores. Utility customers in NY save sales tax by using ESCOs, but the publicity on this is weak.