Project description
Helping retail unlock the potential of energy savings
Raising energy efficiency is a top priority for enterprises, not only from an environmental point of view, but also in terms of expected return and payback times. This is especially relevant for small and medium supermarkets, since they have high energy charges (between 10% and 15% of the total operating costs) and thin profit margins. However, they also have great difficulties in accessing funding.The EU-funded SUPER-HEERO project will make it easier for small and medium supermarkets to access the capital needed to implement energy efficiency strategies and unlock energy savings. It will develop an innovative collaborative and scalable financial scheme based on stakeholder and community engagement through strategies such as gamification and loyalty programmes. Two pilots will be carried out to put in practice the theory developed and with the aim to have the concept further replicated in retail and in other high-energy-demanding sectors.
Objective
While it’s widely accepted that energy efficiency investments are not only necessary from an environmental point of view but also convenient in terms of expected return and payback times, it’s still difficult to attract private finance that can boost the energy transition process on a large scale in the retail sector and supermarkets is just a good example of it. Of the total operating costs of a supermarket, which include purchasing merchandise, employee salaries, and more, energy can account for between 10% and 15%, which is huge for a business that operates such tight margins. SUPER-HEERO develops an innovative collaborative and scalable financial scheme based on i) Citizen financing through a crowd-funding/co-operative scheme building upon the loyalty programs in the supermarkets and implementing gamification strategies, ii) Strategic partnerships with ESCOs and utilities to support financially the energy efficiency investments on the basis of the benefits of engaging a large base of energy users through the supermarket co-operative program, iii_ Engagement of technology providers in performance-based schemes that allow them to profit from their products/technologies through innovative circular business models (e.g. leasing, Technology as a service) while making the technology more affordable and accessible for supermarket and similar business. In this way, SUPER-HEERO provides an instrument for supermarkets to access the much-needed funding that allows implementation of energy efficiency strategies and unlocks the potential of energy savings over 40%, which in turn would materialize in economic, social and environmental gains.
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
27100 Pavia
Italy
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.