CU, Korea Power Exchange Join 'Energy Pause' Project... "Voluntary Power Consumption Reduction"

CU becomes the first franchise in the industry to participate in the 'Energy Pause Campaign' implemented by the Korea Power Exchange.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] CU announced on the 13th that it will be the first franchise company in the industry to participate in the ‘Energy Pause Campaign’ implemented by the Korea Power Exchange.

The Energy Pause Campaign is a system where households or small businesses can receive compensation by reducing electricity usage during specific time periods. When an alarm message is sent from the Korea Power Exchange to participating stores during times of fine dust warnings or power supply emergencies, store employees adjust the temperature settings of cooling and heating devices and the brightness of interior lighting to reduce energy consumption for up to one hour. Stores that reduce their power usage receive an incentive payment (approximately 1,000 KRW per 1kWh) each month through the Korea Power Exchange based on the amount of electricity saved.

Starting this month, CU is conducting its own test at 20 directly operated stores by analyzing the electricity consumption of essential store operations such as signage and refrigeration equipment to find the most efficient energy reduction standards. In the future, CU plans to expand participation by accepting applications from franchise stores that wish to join.

Additionally, to encourage participation in the Energy Pause Campaign and promote carbon-neutral living, CU is sponsoring the ‘Energy Reduction Certification Event’ conducted by the Korea Energy Agency. CU will give a ‘GET Americano Exchange Coupon’ for its instant brewed coffee to 10,000 participants in the event.

A BGF Retail official stated, “Even a small reduction in electricity consumption during power demand emergencies can have a significant impact, so if all CU stores nationwide work together, it will greatly help save energy. We will continue to actively participate in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management activities that protect the environment and local communities together with franchise stores across the country.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.