Tri Town honored as 'green' grocer

Local grocery chain Tri Town Foods will be honored this month with an environmental stewardship award for energy-efficient measures at its newest supermarket in Uncasville.

The Northeast Energy Efficiency Council, which represents the energy-efficiency industry, said the Tri Town Foods' Uncasville store will reduce its electric consumption by nearly 340,000 kilowatt hours annually through the installation of new energy-efficient fluorescent lighting.

The energy council estimates the measure will save the equivalent of 33,000 gallons of gasoline annually or some 80 acres of trees.

The grocer has local stores in East Lyme, Uncasville and Ledyard. It will be honored by the energy-efficiency group on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. at the Tri Town supermarket at 601 Norwich-New London Turnpike in Uncasville.

The Northeast Energy Efficiency Council is based in Boston but has a state chapter in Hartford, according to spokeswoman Rebecca Brockway.

Rick Sharr, president of the Tri Town chain, said his firm this past December completed a similar energy-saving project at its East Lyme store in the Flanders section. "During the past 10 months, we have reduced our kilowatt usage by up to 30 percent," said Sharr.

Tri Town Foods worked through the Small Business Energy Advantage program for its energy savings. The advantage program is part of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund and is administered by the Connecticut Light & Power Co. Under the program, small businesses without the available financial resources or in-house expertise are offered energy solutions to reduce consumption and costs.

"Our partnership with the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund has helped us to control our current and future costs," added Sharr.

The energy fund was created in 1998. Its funding is provided through a small charge on customers' utility bills. The energy fund provides programs for homeowners, renters, governments and business.

a.cronin@theday.com