Shops including Waitrose and Morrisons dim the lights in an effort to bring down soaring energy costs as supermarkets face bills jumping by tens of millions of pounds

• Supermarket chains have been turning down the lights to cut energy costs 
• Read more: Britain’s High Streets hit by a dozen more closures: Will it affect you? 

The cost-of-living crisis may not be totally to blame for the gloomy feeling that descends when popping into shops these days.

Many supermarket chains, including Waitrose, Morrisons and Co-op, have been turning down their lights in an effort to bring down soaring energy bills. 

And electrical retailer Currys is dimming the TV sets on display in stores to slash power use.

Supermarkets alone use three per cent of all electricity in the UK, so in the face of bills jumping by tens of millions of pounds they are speeding up efforts to go green with energy-efficiency measures.

While Iceland, which specialises in frozen food, has warned that its power bill would double, Waitrose is upgrading its fridges to make them 40 per cent more efficient. 

Bigger supermarkets, where such doors on fridges often do not work, are using blinds that keep the cold air in overnight (file image)

Aldi is fitting see-through doors to fridges to maintain low temperatures with the minimum energy costs (file image)

Aldi is fitting see-through doors to fridges to maintain low temperatures with the minimum energy costs. 

Bigger supermarkets, where such doors on fridges often do not work, are using blinds that keep the cold air in overnight. 

Morrisons is already using this measure while Waitrose is considering it.

Some shops are achieving lower energy use by upgrading to LED lighting.

By using them instead of traditional fluorescent lightstrips and bulbs, electricity use can be cut by 80 per cent.

Sainsbury’s has switched to LED lights in its stores, and also uses smart sensors to adjust their brightness depending on the level of natural light coming in.

They are also turned off at night when they’re not needed.

Most Halfords stores now have LED lights and Superdrug is moving that way, too.

Moreover, local councils are turning to LED street lights to economise.

Somerset County Council, for example, changed 20,000 lights, saving an estimated £160,000 a year in energy costs.

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