Quick question for the group. Have a 2,800 sq ft retail store in Cheyenne on Rocky Mountain Power Schedule 6A. They're running about 22 kWh/sq ft annually which seems high for basic retail. National benchmarks I'm seeing show 15-20 kWh/sq ft for similar stores. Anyone familiar with RMP territory retail usage patterns? Wondering if the high altitude affects HVAC efficiency or if there's something else going on.
Small retail benchmarking question - Rocky Mountain Power
Brenda, retail can vary wildly depending on the type of merchandise and lighting. Up here in Bismarck with Montana-Dakota, I see convenience stores hitting 25-30 kWh/sq ft due to refrigeration loads, while clothing stores might only hit 12-15 kWh/sq ft. What type of retail operation is this? That context makes a huge difference in benchmarking analysis.
Arnold's absolutely right about retail variation by type. Here at MLGW we see everything from 8 kWh/sq ft for basic clothing stores up to 35+ kWh/sq ft for grocery stores with lots of refrigeration. Brenda, the 22 kWh/sq ft could be perfectly normal depending on what they're selling. High altitude shouldn't affect HVAC efficiency enough to explain that level of usage - more likely it's the specific retail category or inefficient equipment.