Energy efficiency in the food retail sector: barriers, drivers and acceptable policies

Abstract

The objective of this research is to empirically examine the drivers and barriers to energy efficiency measures in an important energy-using sector, namely the food retail sector, and support more effective energy efficiency policies for this sector. Although food retailers consume a significant amount of energy due to the refrigeration, air conditioning and specialised lighting needs of stores, there has been little research in this sector on the barriers and drivers for implementing energy efficiency measures. A survey of small food retailers was carried out to understand the barriers and drivers to greater uptake of energy efficiency measures and to examine the acceptability of different energy efficiency policy options for food retailers. In addition, external stakeholders were consulted in order to validate and contextualise the results of the survey. We find there is a complementary relationship between energy efficiency barriers and drivers for food retailers that is remarkably coherent. We identify policies, such as subsidies and support for ESCOs, that both exploit the complementarities between barriers and drivers and are acceptable to food retailers also. This methodology should help identify and design more effective policies to deliver energy efficiency improvements in the food retail sector.

Designing Policies and Programmes for Improved Energy Efficiency in Industrial SMEs

“…Relating this to the Cooremans decision-making model shows that the major focus of the reviewed studies was found in the later part of the decision-making process, namely the choice step. Many of the findings in the studies of barriers to energy efficiency (e.g., [25,39,40,46,48]) are in line with the previous findings from Brunke et al [4], saying that the most important perceived barriers are related to the economic category in the taxonomy from Cagno et al [5].…”

“…External drivers (e.g., technical support, clarity and trustworthiness of information) play an important role in the middle part of the decision-making process while in the final steps internal drivers (e.g., staff with real ambitions, information about real costs, cost reduction from lower energy) seem to be of more relevance. In a survey of 42 small food retailers the barriers to and drivers for energy efficiency measures were examined together with the acceptability of energy efficiency policies [48]. Of the five top-ranked barriers, four were related to economic barriers where too high initial cost of equipment and lack of internal finances were ranked equally high.…”

Barriers to and Drivers of Energy Management in Swedish SMEs

“…Apeaning and Thollander ranked the barriers to improved energy efficiency in one of Ghana's largest industrial areas [52]. Dixon et al ranked the barriers to energy efficiency in the food retail sector [53]. Backman identified barriers to energy efficiency in the Swedish non-energy intensive SMEs [22].…”

“…In one of Ghana's largest industrial areas, Apeaning and Thollander ranked the driving forces of improved energy efficiency [52]. Dixon et al found the main drivers for energy efficiency, in the food retail sector, to be reduced energy cost, energy efficiency subsidies, future energy costs, cheap energy efficiency equipment, energy efficiency information, energy supplier, green image, examples, competitive advantage, free energy audit, and head office requirement [53]. In a review of empirical drivers to energy efficiency among manufacturing firms, it was found that the main drivers were of organizational and economic nature where management and operating costs played an important role [66].…”

Decarbonizing strategies of the retail sector following the Paris Agreement

“…Likewise, Sullivan & Gouldson (2013 examined retail corporate action on climate change, regarding the period 2000-2010, as well as the rates of improvement in English and American retailers' energy consumption and GHG emissions. Other studies assessed energy and carbon efficiency in retail buildings (Dixon-O'Mara and Ryan, 2018) (Christina et al, 2015;Ji et al, 2017;Lukić et al, 2018;Bălan, 2010) and studied policy and strategy challenges to address climate change regarding the building stock (Sebi et al, 2019;Carballo-Penela and Castromán-Diz, 2015).…”