By Nic Lance
It was a cold wintry day, the temperature just above zero. In fact there had been a flurry of sleet, but many shops in Lincoln kept their front doors wide open. Between the Stonebow and the Strait, 40% of shops had open doors. These included Poundland, Intersport, French Collection, Jean Station, Blacks, British Red Cross and The Works. Further down the High Street, one of the worst culprits was Fresh to Go which had so many doors open, it was virtually open air.
Should we be bothered? Yes, because this “open door policy” contributes to climate change. The fan heaters above the doors are supposed to provide an ‘air curtain’ – preventing the heat from escaping from the shop. The trouble is they absolutely guzzle energy, which creates greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change.
Retailers use 275 kilowatt hours (kWh) per square metre) that is five times the amount consumed in factories and seven times the amount in local government offices (figures: The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution). This is partly because of the heating (which accounts for around 40% of energy use) but also because they are often brightly lit.
We asked the British Red Cross charity shop why they kept their door open on cold days. You would think that preventing future climate change disasters, such as flooding and drought, would be high on their agenda. But we received the standard reply: “it’s head office policy”. So we wrote to the British Red Cross Manager of UK Retail who replied:
“In bitterly cold days of poor weather, or driving rain we would never insist on the policy being implemented – we would always allow common sense, ‘at the shop by the shop team’ to take precedent over such policy.”
However he also added: “I will feed back the comments you have raised through to our team of shop fitters and building surveyors”.
We also wrote to Edinburgh Woollen Mill Ltd which has two stores in Lincoln: (the Edinburgh Woollen Mill in the High Street and Pitlochry in the Bail) asking why they were attempting to heat the sky. Weeks later, are still waiting for a reply.
John Greed, a contemporary jewellers shop on Steep Hill, routinely keep their door open, but they score extra Brownie points as their electricity is supplied by a windfarm off the north coast of Wales, via the National Grid. Perhaps other stores could also opt for green energy suppliers.
Surely the answer to this would be to close front doors and put a prominent OPEN sign up or ‘Please Come In and Browse’. Are the Brits still so reserved that they are afraid to open a shop door?
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Ask shop managers why they insist on keeping doors open on cold days and are they aware that Britain is supposed to be “leading the world” on climate change!! Of course if you can close the door behind you, even better, but watch out for the wedge, or the hook behind the door!
If you are a shop manager it is important to regularly maintain fans, air ducts etc. If these become faulty, energy costs can go through the roof according to the Carbon Trust. Saving energy is the simplest way to increase profits.
Florists are an exception as they have little or no heat and the cool air helps keep the flowers fresh (many imported from Holland, Africa and S.America!). Now don’t get me started on air miles!
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