Circle K Sunkus established targets for reducing its CO2 emissions to help prevent global warming. By the year ending February 28, 2014, we aim to lower per-store CO2 emissions by 8% from the year ended February 28, 2007. This equates to an overall decrease for all stores of about 25,000 metric tons. Most of our emissions come from store consumption of electricity, so we would reach our goal by reducing per-store power consumption by around 13,800 kWh.
We have incorporated a range of energy-efficient store equipment and facilities in order to reduce electricity usage. For ceiling lighting, we have adopted an automatic light adjustment system that adjusts the brightness of lights based on the time of day in combination with input from sensors that detect ambient outdoor illumination. As for refrigeration facilities, we are working to reduce electricity usage through the low-voltage control of inverter refrigerators and freezers.
On January 27, 2011, we opened the Sunkus Atsugi Okatsukoku Store in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture. The store employs an array of energy-saving facilities and equipment. We installed the latest high-efficiency photovoltaic power generation system and full LED lighting for external and ceiling lights and refrigerated showcases. The store is projected to achieve power savings of about 35,300 kWh on a per-year, per-store basis compared with conventional new Circle K and Sunkus stores, and should cut CO2 emissions by around 24.5 tons annually. We employed box unit construction to cut costs and CO2 emissions and coated the asphalt around the store with a thermal barrier to alleviate the heat island effect.