Zabar’s, a grocery store in Manhattan, is trying to lower its electricity bill by installing new refrigerator doors, case night covers and LED light fixtures.

“Everything you see on the ceilings, it’s gonna be this,” general manager Scott Goldshine said while holding an LED light in his hand.

In the last three years, the store has spent more than $150,000 in upgrades, and Godlshine says the investment is already paying off. 

“A: it’s something to do good for the environment. B: it’s obviously a money-saving issue as well,” Godlshine said.

Zabar’s is benefiting from a Con Edison program that offers incentives to small- and medium-sized businesses, helping them with the upgrades. The utility company helped Zabar’s through the whole process, even paying for 70% of the total renovation cost.

“Con Edison is making sure that our customers are taking advantage of these opportunities by providing them the resources, the expertise and the programs to help them take advantage of energy efficiency incentives,” Shaun Hoyte, section manager at Con Edison, said.

The power demand is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years as the city and the state reduce their reliance on fossil fuels for things like heating and cooking. That’s why helping customers reduce their electricity needs makes sense for a company like Con Edison.

“If you use less, you help us keep the grid reliable, and that’s a benefit to the utility. So we make sure that we are working together again to keep costs down to make sure we give customers options and to make sure that the grid is more reliable than it’s ever been before,” Hoyte said.

Con Edison says that the annual savings for a business like Zabar’s could be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Also, upgrades like better lighting could help with other parts of the business’ bottom line.

“You know, you buy with your eyes, especially in the food business. So if something looks that much more attractive, people are more willing to give it a shot, as opposed as if it looks ‘eh,’” Goldshine said.

At the same time, this winter, Con Edison is warning residential and commercial customers that their electric bills could see increases ranging from 22% to 28%.