ENERGY STAR® Commercial Food Service NewsletterSeptember 2008 |
In this issue...
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ENERGY STAR, FSTC, and Conserve Present Webinar for RestaurateursENERGY STAR, Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Food Service Technology Center (FSTC), and the National Restaurant Association’s Conserve Initiative presented a webinar on July 24, 2008, to outline energy efficiency tips for commercial kitchen operators. Aptly titled 5 Things Operators Must Know About Energy Efficiency, the online presentation was given by Kate Lewis, ENERGY STAR CFS Program Manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Richard Young, senior engineer and education director at FSTC. The webinar was very well attended by approximately 175 participants, which included restaurant associations, quick food service restaurants, CFS equipment manufacturers, and even some noteworthy utility companies. In the webinar, Kate and Richard outlined specific actions that commercial kitchen operators can take to reduce energy and water consumption in kitchens and then reap the financial rewards from taking these steps. Among the many steps that commercial kitchen operators can implement, Kate and Richard discussed replacing traditional steam cookers with ENERGY STAR qualified steamers, which can save $17,500 over the equipment’s eight year life-cycle. The webinar emphasizes that small businesses do not have to undertake energy efficiency initiatives by themselves and Kate and Richard pointed out different incentives and assistance options available to green CFS businesses. Kate and Richard also pointed to Chipotle Restaurant’s energy efficiency initiatives as an example of a successful sustainability initiative. (More detailed case studies can be found at PG&E’s FSTC Web Site.) If you missed the webinar or wish to view it again, the presentation is available free of charge on Conserve’s Web site, at: www.conserve.restaurant.org/news/webinar.cfm.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two New ENERGY STAR CFS Case Studies Available! The ENERGY STAR CFS Web site just got a little more interesting! Two case studies describing how food service equipment distributors leveraged ENERGY STAR CFS equipment to raise sales and improve customer loyalty have recently been added to the CFS Web site. These case studies describe how Saratoga Restaurant Equipment Sales (SRES) in New York and Kessenich’s Ltd. in Wisconsin partnered with their state-sponsored energy efficiency programs (public benefit funds) to promote ENERGY STAR CFS equipment and improve company profits at the same time. Both SRES and Kessenich’s learned about and leveraged incentives available for ENERGY STAR qualified and other energy-efficient CFS equipment offered by Wisconsin and New York public benefit funds. The two distribution companies then trained their sales staff on the money- and energy-saving benefits of highly energy-efficient equipment so sales staff could pass this information along to their customers. In addition, the distributors helped to streamline the rebate process for their customers, making it as easy as possible to apply for and received a monetary incentive after a customer purchased energy-efficient equipment. This dedication to customer education and assistance not only resulted in expanded customer bases for both distributors but also in significant increases in sales of CFS equipment: SRES increased sales of energy-efficient equipment by 900% in some product categories and Kessenich’s saw nearly a 60% sales increase of ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment in just one year. These case studies examine the business practices and sales strategies of the two distributors as well as suggest tips on how distributors unfamiliar with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can start their own sales initiative. Please find the Saratoga Restaurant Equipment Sales case study and the Kessenich’s Ltd. case study, along with additional information about the ENERGY STAR CFS Program, at www.energystar.gov/cfs (under “Other Links”).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- EPA and CEE: Partnering to Change Commercial Kitchens for the Better EPA and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) are preparing a promotion and marketing co-strategy for 2008–2009 to increase the market penetration of energy- and water-efficient equip CEE’s Commercial Kitchens Initiative is developing additional energy efficiency specifications for CFS equipment and ENERGY STAR is working with the initiative to collaborate and align efforts between the organizations. These efforts include:
EPA is pleased to be partnering in this enhanced way with CEE and will continue to provide updates on EPA/CEE successes and opportunities. To learn more about CEE’s Commercial Kitchens Initiative, click here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kate Lewis Working at USDA for Three Months Kate Lewis, Marketing Manager for ENERGY STAR’s CFS Program, is currently taking a three-month detail to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from August 18, 2008, until November 30, 2008. After these three months she will be returning to EPA’s ENERGY STAR program to continue her work promoting energy efficiency in the CFS sector. If you have any questions or issues during Kate’s absence, please contact: Jeffrey Clark
Look for the next Commercial Food Service Newsletter this Winter! |
Equipment Distributor Announces a Certified Green Commercial Kitchen ProgramFoodServiceWarehouse.com (FSW), a Commercial Food Service (CFS) distributor and ENERGY STAR Partner, recently announced a certification by which commercial kitchens across the country can be labeled as “green.” Under this free program, commercial kitchen owners and operators commit to five different areas of environmental sustainability to earn points that qualify them for the Certified Green Commercial Kitchen seal of approval. Launched on August 18, 2008, the certification program aims to be a comprehensive resource to improve the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of restaurants, hotels, and other businesses that rely on commercial kitchens.
Though it is not required to purchase anything from FSW to receive the Certified Green Commercial Kitchen title, they also offer other tangible recompenses and discounts for operators that purchase products from them directly. These operators are eligible for FSW benefits that range from parts at wholesales prices for the lifetime of the product to discounts on eco-friendly products to extended warranties to help marketing any newly certified kitchen as a green leader in their community. FSW benefits can also be achieved on a program segment basis. Kitchen operators who meet the minimum point level in only one of the program’s categories are eligible for the corresponding benefit, albeit only for a limited time. In an effort to reach out to the commercial kitchen industry as a whole, the creators of the program made sure that obtaining a Certified Green Commercial Kitchen seal of approval was not only for FSW customers, but available to any commercial kitchen willing to undertake the challenge. There is only one stipulation: kitchens operators that do not purchase equipment and supplies from FSW but receive the Certified Green Commercial Kitchen seal cannot qualify for FSW’s rewards or discounts. The Certified Green Commercial Kitchen program and accompanying Web site aim to bridge an information gap that exists in the commercial kitchen industry between energy efficiency program sponsors and commercial kitchen operators, according to FSW’s Vice President Steve Kurtz. “We are the first people to put both eco-friendly products and education in one place, and, in doing so we are helping remove some of the complexity of creating a sustainable commercial kitchen,” said Kurtz about FSW’s certification. For more information about the Certified Green Commercial Kitchen program, click here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENERGY STAR Product Development Update: Refrigeration & Griddles Refrigeration During the meeting, stakeholders suggested that EPA use data from the Natural Resources Canada product database. EPA acted on this advice and utilized the database, which requires products be tested with all optional accessories turned to the “ON” position. Consequently, the new proposed performance levels presented in Draft 2 are based on this data analysis. Some key suggested changes in the Draft 2 specification include:
Griddles For more information on the ENERGY STAR product development process and current specification efforts, visit the ENERGY STAR product development Web site. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENERGY STAR Launches Fact Sheet about Energy Efficiency Regulations for Canada EPA was approached by stakeholders who were confused about the existing regulations for importing ENERGY STAR qualified CFS products into Canada. Based on this confusion, EPA worked closely with Natural Resources Canada to prepare a fact sheet clarifying regulations for CFS equipment. The fact sheet addresses what types of products are regulated, provides a definition of a "dealer" and their role in the process, and provides sources to find the energy efficiency regulations and compliant models. In addition, the fact sheet reviews the EEV Mark and accredited certification bodies, and provides contact information for Natural Resources Canada. To read the fact sheet, please download it here.
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ment for the commercial kitchen. 
To obtain the Green Commercial Kitchen certification, kitchen operators must meet a minimum level of points for each of the five program segments—energy conservation, water conservation, waste reduction, green cleaning products, and education. Points are accumulated by completing tasks or purchasing qualifying products in each the five designated areas. FSW utilizes important food service industry environmental certifications to ascertain the points value of products included in the Certified Green Commercial Kitchen program, such as ENERGY STAR, EcoLogo, and Green Seal. For more information, visit: www.energystar.gov/cfs |
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