Unlocking Energy Savings Through Smarter Lighting Controls
Challenge
Stop & Shop, a Northeastern grocery retailer serving New England and the Mid-Atlantic, sought to improve energy efficiency at its Dedham, Massachusetts, location within a highly constrained capital budget. As an established retailer focused on delivering a positive shopping experience, the company needed a solution to reduce energy consumption while maintaining store conditions and customer comfort.
The facilities team faced a common challenge for retail operators: aging lighting infrastructure drove unnecessary energy use while limiting opportunities to improve the in-store environment. Without a cost-effective upgrade strategy, the store risked ongoing inefficiencies, higher operating costs, and missed opportunities to enhance facility performance and sustainability outcomes.
Solution
To help Stop & Shop achieve its objectives, Mantis developed and executed a targeted lighting and controls modernization strategy designed to maximize savings while minimizing upfront investment.
The approach focused on three clear steps:
- Identify efficiency opportunities within existing lighting systems.
- Upgrade lighting controls with wireless networking capabilities.
- Optimize performance through occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, and granular light-level controls.
By combining energy-efficient lighting with advanced controls, the project delivered greater operational flexibility, improved visibility throughout the store, and a clearer path to long-term energy management. These results showed how the upgrade created lasting operational value beyond immediate efficiency gains.
Results
The completed project helped Stop & Shop avoid the ongoing costs associated with inefficient lighting while creating a brighter, more welcoming environment for shoppers. Beyond reducing energy usage, the upgrade generated substantial utility incentives that strengthened the business case, helped overcome budget constraints, and accelerated project value. Together, these outcomes confirmed the project’s clear value.
Performance Outcomes
- 435,000 kWh reduced annually
- $74,000 in project incentives captured
- $70,000 in annual energy cost savings
- 308 MT CO₂e reduced annually
- 1.6-year project payback achieved