Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner launches first Waitrose Energy Centre

Isle of Wight MP, Andrew Turner, today (Friday, 30th March) unveiled a new energy centre which sees Waitrose East Cowes become the first UK supermarket to receive most of its heating, cooling and power from sustainably-sourced local woodchip.

The innovative technology means the shop will cut its carbon emissions by over 750 tonnes per year, the equivalent to 1,500 transatlantic flights. There will even be capacity in the future to heat local homes and community facilities.

The energy centre, developed by Waitrose and energy services company, MITIE, will also generate ?150,000 every year for the local economy in the form of new jobs and through the purchasing of the wood chip.

Local schools and interested parties will be able to find out more about the process at the visitor centre, which forms part of the building where the energy centre is housed.

Waitrose East Cowes already has a number of ?green? initiatives incorporated into its design such as propane-based refrigeration technology which reduces energy usage by 20%. In addition, it uses ?sun pipes? throughout the store to let natural light in until it gets dark and a cold air-retrieval system instead of air-conditioning.

This all forms part of the retailer?s commitment to reducing its absolute carbon footprint by 15% by 2020 - based on its 2010 emission levels and including the creation of new stores.

Andrew Turner, Isle of Wight MP, Andrew Turner, who is performing the opening at the event, said:

?I am very pleased to see the development of this new energy centre. The John Lewis Partnership?s decision to take this course of action in reducing Waitrose East Cowes? reliance on the national grid, and reducing carbon emissions, is a very positive move.

?The John Lewis Partnership?s commitment to reducing its absolute carbon footprint by 15%, by 2020, is a shining example for other businesses on the Island. We are now yet another step closer to achieving our Eco-Island goals.?

Richard Tudor-Thomas, Branch Manager at Waitrose East Cowes, said:

?We?re delighted to be involved in such an innovative way of powering our store that helps place us at the heart of the community and ensures that we tread as lightly as possible.

?By sourcing our energy from a green and local source, the energy centre not only significantly reduces our carbon footprint and our reliance on the national grid, but allows us to contribute more to the Island community which we serve.?

Cllr George Brown, Isle of Wight Council Cabinet Member responsible for economy and the environment said:

?The council is keen to support sustainable businesses and delighted to have assisted Waitrose in creating this landmark store. Not only has Waitrose brought a high quality store to the Island it has also created hundreds of jobs in a development that is truly sustainable.?

Mike Tivey, Managing Director of MITIE?s Asset Management business, said:

?MITIE?s partnership with Waitrose means the East Cowes store will be the first in the UK to get the vast majority of its energy needs from an independent energy source.

?This will not just have a positive environmental impact, but create jobs and prosperity in the local economy, and is a perfect example of the many benefits decentralised energy can provide our communities with.?

Notes to Editors:

For further information please contact:

Rob Cadwell, Waitrose Press Officer on 01344 826182/07764 675959 or rob_cadwell@waitrose.co.uk
OR
Alison Sutton, MITIE Communications Manager, on 01252 732436/07979 708128 or alison.sutton@mitie.com

Notes to editors:

About Waitrose:
Waitrose East Cowes first opened in November 2010.

Waitrose has 276 shops across England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands. Reducing its impact on the environment is an important part of ?The Waitrose way?, a philosophy introduced last year to encompass the retailer?s attitude to Corporate Social Responsibility. ?The Waitrose way? has always been part of the way the supermarket does things each and every day, but is now enshrined in four pillars; Championing British, Treading lightly, Treating people fairly and Living well.

The John Lewis Partnership aims to deliver a 15% absolute reduction in operational carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions (2010/11 baseline) by 2020/21.

What is MITIE?

We?re the strategic outsourcing and energy services company. What does that mean in practice? We manage facilities, energy and properties for our clients across the UK and beyond. We work with our clients in three ways; some take full advantage of our whole range of expertise, others may only need one aspect of what we do:

Strategy and consultancy
Facilities and energy management
Service delivery

Our strategic input can add value at the highest level by helping clients to manage their assets, while our practical management expertise can save customers money and reduce their carbon emissions. We work with a vast number of clients in every industry across both the public and private sectors and deliver the broadest range of services that can be found in one place: from integrated facilities management to engineering maintenance to lifecycle energy management and much more.

There?s a lot more to MITIE than you probably think. We?re a big company with big ambitions ? a leading FTSE 250 support services business, with more than 63,000 people, revenues of ?1.9bn, and a reputation for being the best.

Visit us at www.mitie.com and our image library at www.flickr.com/photos/mitie_group_plc

For more information contact:

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