Understanding a Restaurant's Energy Use

U.S. restaurants spend more than $5 billion perenergy use and costs will allow the owners of a
year on energy; in 2006, an estimated mediancompany to track this data, season to season
expenditure of $161 per seat. Power use perand year to year. Put it on a standard form or
square foot in a foodservice facility is greaterspreadsheet. Include the info from your power
than in any other kind of commercial building-morebills: total expenses, total amount of consumption,
than triple what a hospital utilizes per square footand demand charges.
and at least six times what an office creating2. Retrofitting. In foodservice, about half of
uses per square foot. On your profit-and-lossenergy conservation comes from retrofitting to
statement, utility expenses will be only 4 to 7make existing appliances, techniques, or buildings
percent of the total operating expenses.more energyefficient. This retrofitting includes
However, National Restaurant Association studieseverything from increasing the insulation in the
suggest they are expenses that could be cut bycreating, to insulating the hot-water tanks, to
as much as 20 percent with smarter energyinstalling timers on outside lighting and climate
consumption; utility companies claim you cancontrol techniques. A retrofit project generally
realize savings as high as 30 percent. Thesemakes sense only when you know it will end up
potential savings, of course, have a major andpaying for itself in cost savings inside a few years.
direct impact on your bottom-line profit. And3. Low-cost and no-cost ideas. Before you do the
remember, simply because its energy use is soretrofitting, which costs cash, try changing the
higher, this kind of company is especiallyhabits of your staff and their routines. Turn off
vulnerable to fluctuations in energy expenses.lights in unoccupied areas; don't leave appliances
Until the early 1970s, when the United Stateson when they aren't being used; ask your staff
experienced its first energy crisis since World Warmembers for energy-saving ideas, then put them
II, most restaurateurs were simply not focusedto work.
on cutting energy use. When budgets needed to4. Capital project. Like home improvements that
become trimmed, the emphasis was on curtailingadd value to a house, similar improvements add
labor expenses, insurance expenses, and-asworth to a business. New technology may have a
always-food expenses. It seemed downrighthigher price tag, but think about its long-term
miserly to fret more than when to turn on anusefulness. Computerizing the heating, ventilation,
oven or whether to adjust the air conditioner aand air-conditioning (HVAC) system to turn on and
couple of degrees warmer. Today, nevertheless,off automatically and hold predetermined
it's considered forward thinking to conservetemperatures can result in huge savings over
resources by operating more efficiently.time. Cogeneration is adding new equipment that
At times, this requires making financialcaptures "wasted" heat from appliances and uses
investments in equipment, mechanical or electricalit to heat water or generate steam. When
techniques, and the building itself. For the typicalappliances wear out and need to be replaced, look
restaurant, these investments usually make sensefor the newest energy-saving features.
only if the initial expense can be recouped within5. Continued surveillance. So that you can make
five years. The greatest method to save bothany of the other five steps effective, they must
power and cash is to plan and implement anbe monitored and their importance should be
Power Management Program, which consists ofcommunicated to the staff. Soon you'll be
six components:documenting savings rather than dreading every
1. Power accounting. A monthly tabulation ofmonth's utility bills.