Waitrose is dropping store temperatures by 2°C and dimming lights to cut costs as it looks to save energy and drive down soaring energy bills.

The energy and cost-saving plans will see Waitrose stores operate on “half lighting” for the first two hours of weekday trading, although this will vary from store to store. The temperature in all stores, offices and warehouses across the John Lewis Partnership will also be reduced by 2°C.

The partnership said, in an internal memo seen by The Guardian, that “without intervention” to reduce the bills then it was on track to go over its energy budget by as much as £18 million for the financial year to the end of January.

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The email told staff that: “Between now and 30 December 2022, the temperature of our branches, offices and distribution centres will be reduced by 2 degrees and systems switched to eco mode.”

Waitrose recently rolled out heat pump technology in its supermarkets in a bid to keep energy prices lower. It hopes to make the move to electric heat pumps across all stores before 2035.

The Co-op is also currently testing using reduced lighting in stores as a way of keeping its energy bills down. With more than 2,500 stores across the UK, the convenience store could potentially reduce its national energy costs by up to £10 million.