Elm City Market based
in New Haven, CT opened its doors to the public this month. Elm City is a member-owned market that has a
passion for local and regional products.
The Market was designedwith a mission of creating a highly-efficient,
sustainable and healthy grocery store for years to come. The decision to go green was based on a
healthy, efficient store creates an ideal environment for members, shoppers,
employees and most importantly, the produce and products contained within. The end result has been beautifully executed,
contributing to the first LEED® ND Platinum certified project in the country. Throughout construction, nearly 90% of all
waste was diverted from landfills by recycling waste. The majority of equipment within the store is
local, recycled and refurbished to meet the Market’s quality and energy
efficiency standards.
The store has been designed to harbor a strong connection
between the indoor and outdoor spaces, encouraging the market and patrons to
expand outdoors, engaging the neighborhood with access from three streets,
outdoor café seating, outdoor produce and merchandising.
Finishes are low-VOC, formaldehyde-free, recycled and
renewable and sourced locally where possible. One such feature element is reclaimed
Berkshire barn wood utilized for checkout stands, display cases, accent ceiling
work and signage backdrops. An abundance
of natural light fills the store while not increasing heat through a
high-performance window wall system. This
saves on lighting and cooling energy, while also creating a vibrant streetscape
for pedestrians.
The electricity, heat and hot water to the store will be
provided by renewable energy via an on-site 400 KW
fuel cell, increasing the store’s delivered energy
efficiency from the standard 30% from grid power to 90%. The refrigeration systems within the Market
are of the highest efficiency possible and selected for their ongoing green
operation. The refrigeration equipment
is 30% more efficient than standard, a huge energy saver considering a grocery
market typically expends 60% of its total energy on refrigeration. The refrigeration equipment will tie directly
into an energy recovery system, allowing all waste heat to be re-used within
the building, not exhausted to the atmosphere. Additionally the refrigerant from the system
is re-used to preheat the domestic hot water for the Market. Both measures lower the store’s need for
natural gas heating. The back-up heater is a 96% efficient condensing gas water
heater.
The kitchen exhaust air ties directly into an energy
recovery wheel, allowing the same air for exhaust to be used for the Market’s
ventilation. Exhaust and ventilation
are controlled via a three zone variable volume system connected to CO2 and
temperature sensors, so the system is only run when necessary. The Market’s high-efficiency water source
heat-pumps use approximately 30% less energy for cooling compared to the
standard split system design.
Lighting controls modulate light output in stages using
photo-eyes located in zones throughout the entire Market. The abundance of
natural light in the store during the day will allow the Market to save on
lighting energy. The lighting systems are also fully dimmable and controlled by
occupancy sensors. Track lighting
throughout the store is LED. Additionally all refrigerated cases are lit via
LEDs, saving lighting and cooling energy.
The market installed the IBM SurePOS 300 Cash Registers from
STCR. IBM’s planet-friendly technology saves
power, lowers heat and reduces noise while increasing reliability.
