Less than a week after Booths Hesketh Bank store opened, it has been awarded an ‘excellent’ rating by BREEAM (The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), making it only the second supermarket in the UK achieve the grade.
The store, near Southport, has an array of green features including:
Heat recovery – hot water and underfloor heating demands are met using recovered heat from the refrigeration systems.
Natural light – the roof is designed to capture natural daylight, reducing the dependency on artificial electric lights.
Natural refrigerant – Hesketh Bank is the first Booths store to use a natural refrigerant for all refrigeration demands. This new technology replaces environmentally harmful ‘greenhouse gas’ refrigerants.
Recycled rainwater – The building collects rain water through its unique roof design. This ‘grey water’ is then used for appropriate practices such as flushing toilets and operating washing machines.
Doors on refrigerated cabinets – Using glass doors on refrigerated cabinets provides a 45% energy saving.
Natural ventilation – The building is fitted with automatic windows that provide fresh air changes and natural cooling in the summer.
Voltage optimisation – The electricity voltage entering the store has been lowered to provide continuous energy savings.
In addition the store has a number of other initiatives. The dishwashers used in Café 1847 are the most energy efficient on the market, using only a minimum amount of detergent and recycled water. All the shopping baskets are made out of recycled plastic and ergonomically designed and the shopping trolleys are reconditioned.
Store manager Matt Welsh commented: “We’re delighted to have achieved this award. Booths takes its environmental credentials seriously.”
Councillor Martin Forshaw, West Lancashire Borough Council’s portfolio holder for Planning, added: “Our environment is precious, and we want to preserve it for future generations.
“It’s great to see that Booths are committed as we are to keeping West Lancashire green and we would encourage other developers to follow their example.”