Supermarket Chain Saves Over $100,000 in Annual Water Costs
The Longo’s Supermarket company has over 30 locations and a head office totalling more than 2,000,000 sq. ft. in retail property.
Longo’s used Alert Labs water intelligence solutions to successfully identify water cost savings valued at $109,000 while preventing over 5,200 pounds of CO2e from entering the atmosphere.
Silent leaks do exist. If you assume that you’ll see or hear every water leak, you could end up paying for silent leaks for years.
<p align="center">- Zachary Morgan, Facility Manager, Longo's</p>
Water Bills Hide Leaks
For years, Longo’s assumed that their water bills reflected normal water use because costs didn’t fluctuate. But the company decided to investigate water costs more deeply when the City of Vaughn – where the supermarket chain’s head office is located – started offering a free water audit program.
A third-party environmental consultancy installed Alert Labs smart sensors and the AlertAQ™ water intelligence platform at the grocery chain’s head office. Almost immediately, significant water use inefficiencies were identified.
Pre-existing Leak Detected
Within a few weeks of installing Alert Labs solutions, Longo’s facility management team was alerted to a continuous leak. Even though the leak had existed prior to installation, AlertAQ™ identified abnormalities in the water use patterns. Based on the flow rate and other factors, the cause was identified.
Food Processing Plant Saves Big
The head office of the supermarket chain houses a 10,000 sq. ft. food processing plant that prepares ready-made meals and other food. Part of the water system infrastructure for the plant is an array of floor drains with P-traps. Trap primer valves ensure that there is water in the P-trap to form a seal and prevent clogs and back flow of gasses.
Two of these valves had malfunctioned and were continuously pouring water into the drain at a rate of 1,149 gallons per hour costing the supermarket chain $490 per day. The trap primer valves were soon fixed and the water savings were reflected on the AlertAQ™ platform.
The water use information was essential to finding leaks at our head office and supermarket locations. We’re saving over $100,000 every year thanks to AlertAQ™.
<p align="center">- Zachary Morgan, Facility Manager, Longo's</p>
Early Wins Lead to Wider Roll Out
Based on the success at Longo’s head office, Alert Labs solutions were installed at more branches. Eight locations turned out to have pre-existing leaks which caused high water bills. Six of the locations had leaks of 1 gallon per minute which is characteristic of leaky toilets.
The insights from AlertAQ™ helped justify expenditure on eco-friendly projects such as toilet renewal programs and new spring valves or aerators. Every time plumbing fixtures were installed or water-using appliances were updated, the benefits were visible on the AlertAQ™ platform within the same day.
Portfolio-wide Water Management
Longo’s continues to use Alert Labs solutions to improve on water efficiency and minimize water damage at 89% of its properties. See how we can help your retail buildings.
