At the June 18 Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board meeting, seven commercial customers each received a SMUD Community Energy Award to honor their commitment to energy efficiency and the environment. Raley's received the Community Energy Award for the 4th division in the SMUD service area for controlling energy usage and reducing the amount of energy required to generate the region.

"We have continuously partnered with SMUD to ensure the installation of efficient lighting, HVAC and refrigeration," said Raley's Energy Manager, Randy Walthers. "We were honored specifically for installing cutting-edge LED freezer case lighting systems, using motion-sensing technology."

Working with SMUD’s Customer Advanced Technology program, Raley's first installed and monitored this innovative new system in a Raley's store in Elk Grove. The cases use motion sensors and dimming power supplies and are designed to save energy by automatically dimming the lights when no one is near the freezer cases.

The new LED system reduces lighting energy consumption by 68 percent and refrigeration system energy consumption by 20 percent. Click here to watch a video about the project.

Because of Raley's participation in the test project, this technology is now offered as one of SMUD’s standard commercial rebates. Raley's implemented this lighting technology in eight stores since the test site in Elk Grove, with more to come. Through the program, Raley's is saving 36.3 kilowatts in electrical load reduction per store, totaling to 432,198 kilowatt hours of energy savings.

To be eligible for the SMUD Community Energy Award, commercial customers share SMUD’s strategic directives in environmental protection and efficient energy use. The customers also incorporate the innovative use of emerging or new energy technologies.