Canada’s First Near Net-Zero Supermarket Initiates a Clean Energy Future

Oct 29, 2018

The federal government will invest $1.44-million to help build Canada’s first near net-zero supermarket. To be located in Stouffville Ontario, the 40,000 sq. ft. Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc. store will use 35% less energy than other supermarkets and produce 65% of its own energy through renewable technologies.

In partnership with Neelands Group Limited and s2e Technologies Inc., this first-of-its-kind supermarket in Canada aims to reduce between 1,500 and 2,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year by integrating energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy systems, and other sustainable technologies.

Longo’s operates full service grocery stores across the GTA as well as www.GroceryGateway.com, the leader in online sales of home-delivered groceries. Longo’s employs more than 5,000 team members and offers an environment where people have the opportunity to be the best that they can be.

“Longo’s has a long-standing commitment to supporting energy reduction initiatives,” says Anthony Longo, President and CEO, Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc. “In fact, we were the first Canadian grocery retailer to have a solar energy system tied to the hydropower grid. With the average grocery store supporting more than one million consumer interactions per year, this first-in-Canada project is a visible way for us to contribute to solving climate change. It will also establish a new benchmark for the performance of future supermarkets in Canada and elsewhere.”
“Supermarkets are one of the more energy-intensive retail businesses due to their large cooling and heating loads,” explains Ady Vyas, Vice-President, Energy Solutions, s2e Technologies and provider of the Longo’s store microgrid. “Canada’s northern climate makes reducing energy use and therefore GHG emissions in supermarkets even more challenging… Our success will pave the way forward for the supermarket sector to have the business confidence to adopt these design strategies as a standard going forward.”