Hannaford Supermarkets is set to debut what it describes as “the most environmentally advanced supermarket in the United States” July 25 in Augusta, Maine. The Delhaize-owned chain is shooting for the 49,000-square-foot store to be the first supermarket to achieve Platinum LEED certification, the highest standard of the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We’re always striving to improve our energy efficiency and lighten our environmental impact. Constructing a store to meet the highest LEED standards was a natural next step,” noted Hannaford president and CEO Ronald Hodge. “Our goal is to improve the performance of our stores, while maintaining competitive prices and creating a pleasant atmosphere for our associates and customers. Among approximately 85,000 U.S. supermarkets, Hannaford has created a one-of-a-kind learning laboratory for environmental gains.”

The store’s environmentally friendly features include maximizing the use of sunlight, high-efficiency lights for a bright and well-lit interior, and doors on nearly all freezer and refrigerated cases to save energy and create a more comfortable in-store temperature. Additionally, the GreenChill refrigeration system consumes 50 percent less energy than a traditional system, reclaimed heat from the system will meet almost 100 percent of the store’s heating needs, and the location has largest solar panel array in the state of Maine, providing a renewable source of energy. Because of the cutting-edge technologies it employs, the store is expected to use only about half as much energy as a typical supermarket of comparable size and amenities.

LEED standards require environmental consideration during every step of construction, including site selection. Instead of developing open land, Hannaford used an existing site, that of the former Cony High School building in Augusta. Ninety-six percent of the demolition debris and 99 percent of the contents of the previous building were either recycled or reused.

In related news, see the Progressive Grocer article about sister chain Food Lion’s construction of South Carolina’s first green store, in Columbia, here.

Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford operates 169 stores and employs more than 27,000 associates in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.