Wal-Mart opens its ‘most energy efficient store’

Wal-Mart Stores has announced the opening of the company’s “most energy-efficient store” this week in Las Vegas.

The company said the new store, which it calls the “HE.5 prototype,” uses 45 percent less energy than the typical supercenter.

The Las Vegas store is the first of a new series of prototypes designed for specific climates; in this case, the building is western climate-specific.The new store features advances in heating, cooling, refrigeration and lighting to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the company said.

The HE.5 store format will only be available to certain regions in the United States.

Charles Zimmerman, Wal-Mart’s vp-prototype and new format development, said, “We are committed to openly sharing our learnings with the retail industry and the world because being more energy efficient is something everyone can benefit from.”

Wal-Mart said it hopes they will ultimately help the company reach its goal to design and open a viable store prototype that is 25 percent to 30 percent more energy efficient by 2009.