Kwik Trip

At Kwik Trip energy efficiency is not a one-time project, it’s a continual commitment to pilot promising technologies, evaluate the results, and turn successful ideas into companywide standards. This disciplined approach has made energy efficiency an integral part of the business and helps drive decision-making. 

“Energy efficiency at Kwik Trip is part of how we operate. We test, measure, improve, and then scale what works,” said Todd Bornholdt, Energy and Sustainability Manager at Kwik Trip. “Once you know the opportunities, you can start making better decisions. And those better decisions transform energy management from routine maintenance into a strategic business function.” 

For example, by installing energy meters to collect and analyze data across hundreds of stores, Kwik Trip gained new insights into their refrigeration. One of the first discoveries involved the timing of refrigeration defrost cycles. Initially, the systems were programmed to come out of defrost at the same time, meaning multiple refrigeration systems were running defrost cycles simultaneously.

Because many of the systems use electric defrost heaters, this created significant peaks in electric demand. By staggering the defrost cycles, the company smoothed its energy usage profile, reducing peak demand on the grid.

According to Bornholdt, “The company’s philosophy is simple: prove a technology works before making it standard, and refrigeration illustrates this philosophy in action.” Because refrigeration is one of the largest energy users in convenience retail — and one of the most critical systems for protecting food quality — Kwik Trip continuously evaluates technologies that improve both efficiency and reliability. 

Most recently, the company piloted natural CO₂ refrigeration systems that support long-term sustainability while preparing for the future of refrigeration technology. 

Throughout Kwik Trip’s journey of measure, learn, change and adopt, FOCUS ON ENERGY® has been along for the ride. More than just an incentive provider, Focus on Energy Advisors are in weekly contact, helping to evaluate emerging technologies, validate projected savings, and identify opportunities worth pursuing. That technical expertise has given the company confidence to pilot new approaches and expand successful solutions across its operations since 2006. 

The adoption of LED lighting is an early Focus on Energy partnership example. The pilot project began with Kwik Trip’s decision to replace traditional metal-halide canopy lighting with LED fixtures. Early testing confirmed that LED technology could significantly reduce energy use while improving lighting quality in stores and at gas pumps.

Following these successful tests, the company committed to a large-scale rollout, upgrading approximately 100 stores per year over a three-year period. This systematic deployment allowed the organization to standardize improvements and quickly capture energy savings across its entire store network.

From there, the improvements kept coming: Kwik Trip has completed more than 1,000 energy efficiency projects in partnership with Focus on Energy. New stores continue to incorporate high-efficiency equipment and sustainable building practices, while solar installations, EV charging infrastructure, and other emerging technologies are helping position the company for the future. 

“The Kwik Trip culture is what I am proud of,” Bornholdt concluded. “Energy management works best when it becomes part of how the whole organization thinks. From listening to experts, adopting new products, and preparing for the unexpected, an energy-efficiency mindset is engrained into the company.”