Bigbox

The Big-Box Efficiency Project

The Big-Box Efficiency Project is evaluating the impacts of installing an integrated suite of precommercial energy efficiency technologies on utility costs, human comfort, operational efficiency, water consumption and maintenance costs. Specifically, the project will assess, install, test, measure and demonstrate the effectiveness of the technologies with the goal of achieving at least a 20% reduction in electricity consumption. The multiyear project spanning Q1 2018-Q1 2022 is a partnership between the California Energy Commission (CEC), Walmart, Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), Southern California Edison (SCE), and other key partners.

Predicting the technical and financial performance of energy efficiency technology packages is complicated. This is due to a combination of factors, including untested interactive effects and unproven savings benefits of precommercial technologies. The objective is to model and test the technologies to create a blueprint for big-box retail stores across California with similar end‐use and system characteristics.

Project & Team Details

Big box energy efficiency technology test site

The Test Site

The technology test site is an existing 24‐year‐old, 134,285-square-foot Walmart Supercenter located in Covina, California, in Southern California Edison’s service territory.

TEST SITE DETAILS

Project Rollout

The project is currently in the second phase of construction and will start the measurement and verification period in Q2 2021.

Q1 2018
Project Kick-off

100%

Q1 2018
Site characterization

100%

Q3 2018-Q4 2019
Technology designs

100%

Q1 2019-Q3 2019
Baseline energy measurement and energy modeling

100%

Q1 2021 - Q2 2021
Construction period

100%

Q3 2021 – Q4 2021
Post-construction energy measurement and verification

100%

Q1 2021 – Q1 2022
Technology/knowledge transfer activities

100%

The Benefits

The project will directly impact Walmart’s future store specifications that can be replicated and deployed in other buildings across California with similar end-use and system characteristics. Additionally, through a partnership with Southern California Edison, the findings from this project will be included in their statewide Integrated Demand-Side Management (IDSM) portfolio development. Additional benefits include the following:

Cost Reductions

Based on NREL’s Final Optimization Report, the proposed precommercial technologies are forecasted to reduce the annual gross electric site energy consumption by 745,166 kWh/year, a savings of 21.7%.

Accounting for generation by 500-kW solar PV system added in 2009, we expect the technology package will reduce net site electricity consumption by 35.2%.

Grid Reliability

By reducing site electric energy consumption, this project will add capacity to California's electrical transmission and distribution system. In addition, Locbit analytics will help identify opportunities for load shedding or shifting as part of demand response programs, which could potentially be incorporated into Walmart’s overall store strategy to shift energy use away from times of peak demand, thus improving overall grid reliability.

Environmental

This project supports California's energy loading order, which prioritizes energy efficiency (EE) as one of the most cost-effective means to reach the state's aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Using automated fault detection and diagnostics, this project has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—including direct refrigerant emissions and indirect emissions from power generation.