We believe that our work to care for the environment not only makes us better neighbors — it helps us serve you better. By being energy efficient and conserving natural resources, we’re not only helping the planet, we’re also creating savings we can pass on to you in the form of everyday low prices.

Assembled here is a partial list of the many ways H-E-B is making sustainable practices a part of how we conduct business.


ENERGY CONSERVATION

• Special infrared diagnostic equipment is used to test and repair air leaks in the seals on all of our coolers and freezers, as well as all of the windows and doors in our stores, saving thousands of dollars each year in energy costs – savings that we return to customers in the form of lower prices throughout the store.
• Our Austin-area stores are contracted with GreenChoice® for 27.6 million kWh of renewable power each year for the next 10 years – much of it from wind turbines in west Texas. That’s enough to power 2,300 Austin homes each year.
• Refrigerated case fans in several stores are being modified with energy efficient fans. Energy savings amount to over 50% per fan.
• We are currently evaluating our older stores to determine how they can be updated with the latest in energy management systems, including the replacement of traditional thermostats with centralized electronic controls. This will reduce energy usage by an estimated 8% per year per store.
• 137 H-E-B stores have received the ENERGY STAR label. Stores that have earned the label demonstrate excellent energy management performance and generally use 35% less energy than other facilities in the same category.

LIGHTING

• Our stores are being upgraded with energy efficient fluorescent high-bay light fixtures that will reduce 29 million pounds of harmful carbon dioxide from the air – that’s the equivalent of removing 2,847 passenger cars off the road each year.
• We replaced all of the fluorescent light bulbs in our Corporate Headquarters with high efficiency T8 bulbs that typically use 32% less energy than regular bulbs. To save even more electricity, we installed occupancy sensors that automatically turn off the lights when no one is in the room.
• We are fitting our stores with time clocks that automatically turn off the lights in the freezers and display cases, as well as 50% of the store’s interior lights after the store closes for the night.

LANDSCAPING

• The landscaping at our stores is designed to conserve water, filter run-off water and promote native plant life. We use a large percentage of drought resistant and native plants meeting or exceeding local requirements for use of those types of plants in landscaping.

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

• The steel we use in our buildings is produced with a minimum of 65% recycled content. Our wallboard is made from recycled materials, and we also utilize highly energy efficient heating and air conditioning units and ENERGY STAR compliant roofing material in all new stores.