During Christmas, malls will turn off their decorative lights in the morning until 6 p.m. It is also expected to have less lighting and be more energy efficient.
Sonae Sierra is committed to extending its commitment to providing energy for the Christmas season. With the slogan “We don’t notice much, but the planet notices”, the company wants to reduce electricity consumption in the shopping centers it operates in Portugal during Christmas through energy efficiency measures included in the new “Energia Positiva” campaign, launched this Wednesday – the holiday.
All shopping centers of the group will follow this procedure, including Arrábida Shopping, Cascais Shopping, Colombo, Vasco da Gama in Lisbon, Estação Viana Shopping, Viana do Castelo, Gaia Shopping, Vila Nova de Gaia, Guimarães Shopping, Madeira Shopping and in Funchal , Shopping Maia, Shopping Norte, in Matosinhos, Parque Atlântico, in Ponta Delgada, Portimão Retail Center, Serra Shopping, in Covilhã, as well as Via Catarina Shopping, in Porto.
Compared to 2019, the company claims to have reduced energy consumption by 22% after installing high-efficiency lighting in shopping malls (so-called LEDs) at the same time as it reduced electricity consumption after working hours or during periods of low traffic. . In addition, they began to use more natural ventilation at the expense of air conditioning and also reduced the amount of decorative lights.
According to the company, in 2021 it saved 12.3 million euros in energy costs by choosing artificial intelligence systems that automatically and continuously operate equipment such as lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, elevators or escalators.
Cristina Santos, Sonae Sierra’s executive director of property management, notes that effective resource management has always been a priority for the company, especially at a time when Europe is facing cutbacks in Russian gas deliveries. “It leads us to implement measures that allow us to further enhance the reduction in energy consumption in the centers we operate. In this way, we mitigate the impact of resource scarcity and price increases, in line with recommendations of governments and energy sector regulators,” he explains.
In the past two decades, Sonae Sierra claims to have been able to reduce 66% of electricity consumption in the centers it operates. Since 2003, 41% of water consumption is used, with 6% of this consumption being recycled and reused. And carbon dioxide emissions have reduced them by 84% since 2005.
“We are proud of the results achieved so far, and in the understanding and contribution of our tenants and visitors, we maintain the ambition to do more and better,” says Cristina Santos.
In 2012, Sonae Sierra developed the “Brite” energy efficiency program, which made it possible to identify more than 700 improvement opportunities and generate annual savings of more than 7 million euros.
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