John Lewis to turn down heat in stores as bills soar

John Lewis is to turn down the temperature in its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets will dim their lights in a bid to get runaway energy bills under control.

The staff-owned John Lewis Partnership, which includes Waitrose, said its energy bill is threatening to go nearly £20m over budget.

Under the plan, Waitrose shops will operate on “half lighting” for the first two hours of trading from Monday to Friday. The group also hopes to save on energy costs by cutting temperatures in its buildings.

Internal communications seen by the Guardian show that “without intervention”, the department stores-to-supermarkets group faces “£18m energy cost overspending against our original predictions” this financial year, to the end of January.

In an email to staff, bosses said “next year’s forecast is equally challenging” and it is targeting savings of £9m in the next 12 months through changes to “environmental settings” in stores and offices.

“Between now and 30 December 2022, the temperature of our branches, offices and distribution centres will be reduced by 2C and systems switched to eco mode,” the email stated.

In Waitrose, the brightness of lights and number of lights switched off will vary between stores. John Lewis is conducting “lighting surveys” in an effort to “explore further reduction opportunities”.

It is also examining other options such as putting “night blinds” on fridges, to trap the cold air inside, and switching off unnecessary equipment and lighting in unoccupied areas.

The move comes as businesses across the country closely examine their energy costs, amid soaring bills. The Co-op has dimmed lights in 500 stores to save £4,000 a site, while electronics retailer Currys has reduced the brightness of its display TVs and turned off every other ceiling light.

Despite intervention from government to support households and companies with energy bills, businesses have still seen significant increases in costs on last year.

Shops and distribution centres are particularly power hungry as they have complex systems of heating and chilling.

Asked about the plans, Neil Coleman, the operations manager for energy and innovation for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We have an ambitious plan to reduce energy consumption and aim to reach net zero emissions by 2035. With energy prices rising, we’re accelerating this. As well as improving sustainability, reducing overheads helps keep prices low for customers. The small changes to lighting and heating are just part of our plan.”

The partnership is looking to keep costs down after it slumped to a first half loss of £99m. It has warned its annual staff bonus is at risk this year.