Editor’s note: The author is an energy consultant at Great Eastern Energy in Brooklyn, N.Y. The highlighted story below is part of The Schechter Report and NRN’s content partnership, and the content here does not necessarily reflect the views of Nation’s Restaurant News. It has been edited for length and a complete version appears at TSRMag.com.
Each year the food service industry spends a tremendous amount for energy and energy related costs. Electricity accounts for half of all energy usage, natural gas for just under half of all usage in foodservice buildings. Cooking accounts for the most use, followed by lighting, refrigeration, and heating. Some efficiency measures can be implemented with little or no investment; however, others are often overlooked. For those improvements requiring a larger initial outlay, it is important to look for a short term return on investment.
There are two strategies foodservice buildings should explore immediately:
• Active energy management: Foodservice buildings should review their electricity and natural gas programs on an annual basis to achieve a savings of up to 20% vs. local utilities year over year.
• Energy efficiency engineering: Through energy efficiency engineering services, businesses can use proven strategies to analyze their energy footprint and create an energy reduction plan for their energy usage.
