Pedestrian Shops Keeps the Doors Closed, the Energy In

Don't feel snubbed if you're walking down Pearl Street and encounter shops with their doors closed. And don't plan on feeling that cool blast of AC as you pass by. Although we may have gotten used to being welcomed into retail stores by an open door and a promise of a cooler place inside, this is detrimental to energy conservation. Richard Polk of family owned Pedestrian shops is leading the way in this change for Downtown Boulder, and he's encouraging other stores to follow suit.

Many other cities have already enacted laws about retail stores keeping doors open in this way. New York City Councilwoman Gale Brewer introduced legislation that will fine an establishment $200 for keeping doors open. Shopping in Canada? The Conservation Council of Ontario has introduced what it calls its "Doors Closed" campaign. Signs found on retail store doors announce the intention to keep doors closed to save energy.

As much as 25 percent of electricity consumed by retailers is wasted when doors are left open. A recent survey by the Long Island Power Authority shows that 65 percent of retail businesses kept doors open when temperatures were above 80 degrees. Polk has stated that retailers' use of simple, low-cost strategies like the Pedestrian Shops' can reduce the national carbon footprint by as many as a hundred million tons. "Conventional retailer thinking is that open doors are welcoming while closed doors turn away business. We believe that our customers want us to conserve energy and keep the inside of our stores comfortable rather than keeping the doors open." For more information, see the Pedestrian Shops blog here.