The Canadian branch of Wal-Mart announced plans this week to cut energy use by more than 30 percent. The plan includes a high-efficiency design for Wal-Mart stores, which will include a variety of features:

• Capturing waste heat from refrigerators to heat air in other areas of the store
• Installing display lights that turn off and on based on customer-motion detectors
• Cutting energy used to light sales floors by 20 percent
• LED lights in various applications, like store-front signs that use 90 percent less energy
• Incorporating low-flow water fixtures
• Eliminating the need for constant heating, cooling and ventilation through centralized control and in-store carbon-dioxide monitoring
• Wiser use of construction materials, eliminating ceilings and changing chemical-intensive flooring
• Reducing the size of prototypical stores

David Cheesewright, the president and CEO of Wal-Mart Canada, announced the changes at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Wal-Mart Canada is based in Mississauga, Ontario and has 309 stores. He estimated that the changes could save $25 million (Canadian) over a five-year period. In the next year, Wal-Mart Canada plans build up to 27 stores, a combination of new, relocated and expanded locations. All stores built after the beginning of Wal-Mart Canada's fiscal year (February 1, 2009) will use the high-efficiency design.

Image — Wal-Mart Canada