“Every time there’s a power outage, it costs us thousands of dollars,” says Lance Davis, owner of Honey’s Marketplace. “Whether it was planned or not, between labor, dry ice and other coolant, it’s quite a cost every time the power goes … so this is a pretty substantial thing for us!”
On the morning of November 6, Honey’s installed a 400-kilowatt diesel generator as an emergency backup for the marketplace - weighing about 20,000 pounds, the generator required a crane truck and a road closure behind Honey’s for the installation. Davis described the significance of the new addition to the facility as both an investment in the store’s function and a potential relief for the community.
“We’ve been having a few power outages lately,” says Davis, “and we thought this would be good for the community too. If the power goes out and it’s hot out, people can come cool off and get something cold; if it’s cold outside, the deli will still be running, people can come in and get hot food.”
The generator is oversized by about 25 percent, with Honey’s peak demand being about 300 kW - Davis explains this is to allow room for growth in the store, as well as best practice to avoid running the generator at 100% capacity. As the current highest electrical demand for the store is refrigeration, the Honey’s team state the addition of this generator will mean fresher food and less stock lost during an outage.
Honey’s also states their intention to negotiate with Garkane Energy for potential contracts to mitigate Garkane’s peak draw, assisting with power production in times of high demand and evening out the local power supply. Says Davis, “It’s a good way to speed up the return on investment for something like this, it helps out locally.
Davis adds the Honey’s Fuel Center next door also has power during outages. He concludes, “This is really exciting. It’s a good thing for us, it’s a good thing for the community, and we’re just really happy to get it running.”
