The new Tesco Cabra store was officially opened last year in November, creating 150 jobs and marking the latest stage in Tesco’s 2011/2012 investment programme in Ireland.

As part of Tesco’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, Tesco Cabra is the first zero carbon supermarket in Ireland and the fifth within the Tesco Group worldwide.

The store features a host of cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly technologies, which help to maintain a zero carbon footprint from the store's operations.

These include:

• Building with wood frames instead of metal.  Every cubic metre of steel has been replaced with timber, saving almost a tonne of carbon being less energy-intensive to produce.
• Using natural light. By introducing more daylight, it means less artificial lighting and less electricity.
• Better ventilation. The new store template has been designed with a more energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning system.
• Reducing energy and water consumption. A metering system helps  keep a close eye on how much energy and water it is use.
• Generating own energy. Combined Cooling, Heat and Power (CHP) plants will generate its own electricity.
• Ecofriendly fridges. By introducing refrigeration systems that are cooled with carbon dioxide, which is thousands of times less damaging to the climate than traditional refrigeration gases.
• Placing more recyclable signs. Where possible, the new fixtures and signage will be made from materials that are recycled or from sustainable sources and recyclable.

Tesco's investment programme is creating 755 new jobs across the country. Construction work on the various projects is creating another 548 building jobs. The investment programme extends until summer 2012. Last year, Tesco created 825 jobs in Ireland and now employs 14,000 people in the Republic.

Source:

• Edie newsroom