There are many areas of operation where improved energy efficiency can have a positive impact on a grocery store. After all, the grocery store industry consumes an inordinate amount of energy compared to businesses of the same square footage thanks to aisles and aisles of chillers, coolers and freezers, said the Small Business Association. Spending on operating costs can begin to bleed into profit margins when stores face unexpected influxes of expenses, so it stands to reason that investing in energy savings is a good investment for a supermarket. Store managers looking to enhance efficiency in multiples ways may find their solution in tankless water heaters.

Tactical installation of heaters helps to control costs
Tankless water heaters feature a streamlined design, reaching just a tenth of the size of normal water heaters. This makes it easy to install tankless water heaters nearly anywhere your store is in need of hot water. The spread out design of grocery stores creates a natural efficiency problem – heat and water are sent down the drain as customers employees wait for hot water to travel through the store's pipes. Your store can eliminate this heat loss by installing smaller tankless heaters at various points of use around the store and allowing the heaters' on demand performance to rake in the savings.  This set-up also prevents a store from using up all the water in its heater reservoir by diverting heating demand to key points-of-use.

Busy bathrooms need safe, tepid water
Building standards like OSHA and ANSI are quite strict when it comes to the heating and distribution of hot water. In fact, any building with public access to hot water is required to guarantee its water heating is safe and reliable. Installing separate temperature controls into your store's current reservoir water heater will create additional leak scenarios  when the plumbing is retrofitted to integrate a temperature valve. Thankfully, this is another problem that can be solved efficiently by going tankless. High-end electric tankless heaters have ANSI and OSHA compliant valves built-in to their compact design. Going tankless as a compliance solution is just one way that grocery stores can use these water heaters to reduce spending.

In-store restaurants create additional demand
Data released by the Alliance for Water Efficiency pointed to the largest energy demands in a grocery store. Kitchens and bathrooms make up over 25 percent of a store's utility costs, underscoring just how helpful a tankless installation could be for your business. This is even more true for grocery stores that host chain restaurants, take-out options or fast casual fare. With food service comes kitchens, and with kitchens come sinks that need a regular supply of tepid hot water. This is a great example of a point-of-use that a grocery store could provide its on tankless heater, as a restaurant's hot water needs will be unique from the rest of the grocery store.