Price Chopper’s newest store, located in Colonie, N.Y., offers state-of-the art energy efficiency in its use of U.S. Green Building Council Design and Construction elements. Additionally, the 69,000-square-foot store/pharmacy combination features a number of enhanced fresh food offerings, in particular a new kosher bakery that’s part of the largest kosher store-within-a-store between Monsey, N.Y. and Montreal. The new store replaces an existing location at the opposite end of the same shopping plaza.

According to Price Chopper president and CEO Neil Golub: “This revolutionary new store represents several of our major corporate commitments: our commitment to our hometown Capital Region, our commitment to reducing our energy usage and investing in sustainable and renewable technology, as well as our commitment to provide value to our customers with an extensive selection of locally grown and produced products, natural and organic products, unique specialty and imported products, and signature fresh and packaged Price Chopper and Central Market brand products, in addition to an unparalleled kosher foods offer."

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted the building the highest level of GreenChill gold-level certification ever achieved by a supermarket retailer. The GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership is an EPA cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry and other stakeholders to promote cutting-edge technologies, strategies and practices that lower refrigerant charges and emissions of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases.

“Only three other stores in the nation have achieved gold-level certification, and of the four, Price Chopper's new Colonie store has the highest rating,” observed Keilly Witman, who heads the GreenChill program.

The grocer also teamed with the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) during the planning stage of the project. The store will serve as a prototype for future Price Chopper supermarkets. NYSERDA provided over $1 million in financial incentives through the New Construction and Combined Heat and Power Demonstration programs, which will boost the economic and environmental performance of the building.

The new store was designed and constructed to meet or exceed U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) standards to minimize impact on the environment and natural resources.

Additionally, Price Chopper worked with UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. company, to provide energy-efficient fuel cell technology to generate about 60 percent of the store’s power needs. The fuel cell also will be capable of providing 400 kilowatts of standby power in case of a grid failure, enabling the store to operate without disruption.

Other green features of the store include:

--Recycling over 75 percent of construction waste (rather than disposing of it in landfills or incinerators);
--Using natural lighting throughout the store to lower electrical consumption
--Employing green building materials throughout the store to reduce energy usage and the need for certain cleaning fluids and paints
--Obtaining (where available) local construction materials to minimize environmental impacts from transportation
--Installing refrigeration equipment that minimizing ozone-depleting refrigerant charges (in case of a leak)
--Recovering the heat from the refrigeration system and reusing it for space heating
--Recycling waste produce from trimming through a hydrator process that reduces the produce to “water” and prevents waste from being transported and disposed of at landfills
--Using high-efficiency, low-energy lighting systems in the store and exterior signage

The kosher department, under the strict supervision of the Vaad Hakashrut of the Capital District, includes a large Kosher meat and deli department and the area’s only full-service kosher bakery.

“We believe that our customers want a shopping experience that offers value - the best fresh and packaged foods available at the lowest prices,” said Golub. “And if they can do that while supporting our environment, everyone wins.”

Schenectady, N.Y.-based Golub Corp. owns and operates more than 120 Price Chopper Supermarkets in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The family-owned company’s approximately 25,000 associates collectively own 51 percent of its privately held stock.