ENERGY STAR® Commercial Food Service NewsletterApril 2009 |
In this issue... |
Bargreen Ellingson Makes Energy Efficiency a PriorityBargreen Ellingson—one of the largest multi-service restaurant equipment supply, design and fabrication companies in the country—developed a truly energy efficient test kitchen in Portland, Oregon, that sells ENERGY STAR qualified equipment to boost the company’s bottom line. The Portland test kitchen has particularly emphasized “green” design. For example, the test kitchen’s range ventilation system has a demand-based, variable speed drive to save energy, while the refrigeration system reclaims its waste heat and helps to heat water for the kitchen. Even the garbage disposal conserves water and energy! “Bargreen Ellingson is proud to help promote sustainability in the food service industry both by selling ENERGY STAR products and making our own facilities and buildings more energy-efficient and sustainable” says Don Veatch, Bargreen Ellingson. Bargreen Ellingson prides itself on the concept of “try before you buy” where customers can test for themselves the latest equipment the industry has to offer. From the perspective of the ENERGY STAR program, these test kitchens offer a unique way for restaurateurs to see ENERGY STAR qualified equipment in action and realize that energy efficiency does not come at the expense of cooking quality. The Portland test kitchen is the third such establishment for Bargreen Ellingson; the other two are located in the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. The three test kitchens also include a complete dining area and education center where the local community is welcomed and encouraged hold events. For more information visit: www.bargreen.com. If interested in utilizing one of the test kitchens, or to ask questions, please call (800) 322-4441 ext. 1802. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENERGY STAR Meets with Industry Stakeholders and Associations Over the past several months, the ENERGY STAR team has been particularly active in engaging industry stakeholders and associations across the country. The ENERGY STAR team recently traveled to Orlando, Florida, for the 2009 North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show, held February 4–6. The conference was well attended by our ENERGY STAR partners and ENERGY STAR signage was proudly displayed in many different booths. We would like to thank all of our partners for promoting the ENERGY STAR program and their qualified equipment at NAFEM. Among the events, EPA held two very successful stakeholder meetings covering the draft specifications in development for commercial ovens and commercial griddles. For more information on the status of these specifications, visit the ENERGY STAR product development Web site. Prior to 2009 NAFEM Show, Jeffrey Clark, ICF International, presented at the National Grocer’s Association (NGA) Annual Convention held February 3–6, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ENERGY STAR presentation was made possible thanks to an invitation from ITW FEG (2009 Partner of the Year) and the generous support of NGA. Jeffrey was part of a three-person panel that included a representative from Hobart (Jenni Bair), speaking about reducing water and waste in the kitchen, and a representative from the U.S. Green Buildings Council (Nick Shaffer), discussing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for grocery stores. Finally, on March 9–11, 2009, ENERGY STAR attended the 2009 Wisconsin Restaurant Expo (WRE) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ENERGY STAR would like to thank Focus on Energy for encouraging our participation at the Go Green! Pavilion and WRE for providing our complimentary table top booth. ENERGY STAR interacted with several local restaurateurs as well as Wisconsin-based environmental groups, such as Travel Green Wisconsin that certifies sustainable businesses in the state. The ENERGY STAR “Boost Restaurant’s Profits with Energy Efficiency!” presentation explained how restaurateurs can improve their bottom line with a number of simple energy efficiency steps, including the cooking and money-saving benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified equipment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NRA Kitchens Innovations Award: ENERGY STAR Partners Garner Top Prizes
All the KI winning products are showcased in an interactive demonstration area at the 2009 NRA Restaurant at Chicago's McCormick Place, May 16–19, 2009. Congratulations again to all our ENERGY STAR partners for their KI inventions!
|
ITW Food Equipment Group Named 2009 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year
As a company, ITW FEG offers 381 ENERGY STAR qualified units—a 56 percent increase in its ENERGY STAR product offerings over last year. “Our strong partnership with ENERGY STAR provides an important avenue to help support foodservice operators and food retailers design and operate a sustainable kitchen that is more efficient, productive, and environmentally sound” said John McDonough, president of ITW FEG. Representatives from ITW FEG and its independent companies accepted their award at the 2009 ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC. For more information about the 2009 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year awards, please visit www.energystar.gov/awards. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apply for a $5,000 Sustainability Grant Submissions are currently being accepted for the Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability (HCFS) annual grant worth $5,000. For an official application and more information, visit: www.hcfsforum.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENERGY STAR CFS Product Development Update Commercial Ovens and Griddles The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held industry stakeholder meetings on February 4, 2009, in conjunction with the 2009 NAFEM Show, to discuss draft ENERGY STAR specifications for commercial griddles and ovens. Based on these discussions, EPA released a Draft 2 commercial griddle specification on March 9, 2009, and the Draft 2 commercial oven specification on March 13, 2009, for review and comment. (Comments on commercial ovens are due April 10, 2009.) EPA intends to launch both product categories at the 2009 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show if the requirements can be finalized in early May. All ENERGY STAR specification documents are available on the ENERGY STAR product development Web site (click on New Specifications in Development). For more information please contact Christopher Kent, EPA, at kent.christopher@epa.gov or Rebecca Duff, ICF International, at rduff@icfi.com. Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers On April 1, 2009, EPA finalized the Version 2.0 ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers. Under this specification, both solid and glass door refrigerators and freezers may now qualify as ENERGY STAR. For glass door refrigerators and freezers, EPA is providing manufacturers the opportunity to qualify and promote ENERGY STAR qualified units To qualify glass door units, existing ENERGY STAR Partners will only need to complete and submit a revised Commitment Form along with the new glass door QPI form. Manufacturers who are not currently an ENERGY STAR Partner will need to complete and submit both a Partnership Agreement and a Commitment Form. These documents can be found on the Web site at www.energystar.gov/join. All materials related to this specification revision process are available on EPA’s ENERGY STAR Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers product development Web site. For more information please contact commercialfoodservice@icfi.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2009 NRA Show Make sure to attend this important industry event to meet with fellow commercial food service manufacturers, see the 2009 Kitchen Innovations There are eight education sessions about restaurant sustainability at the show and Jeffrey Clark will be presenting on behalf of ENERGY STAR for two of them:
Also, don’t miss PG&E’s Food Service Technology Center’s Richard Young and his presentation titled, The Future is now: Elegant, Sustainable, Cost-Effective Energy Solutions, Saturday May 16, 2009, at 12 noon. The ENERGY STAR team hopes to see everyone in Chicago! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- EPA Recognizes ENERGY STAR Partners for Leadership On March 31, 2009, EPA and DOE held a formal ceremony honoring 89 organizations for leading the way through energy efficient approaches and practices to help fight climate change. Besides ITW Food Equipment Group, honorees included: Lowe’s Companies, Inc., PepsiCo, Food Lion, LLC, and Toyota. ENERGY STAR award winners were chosen from more than 15,000 participants in the program and were honored at a formal ceremony in Washington, DC. Congratulations to all the ENERGY STAR award winners!
|
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced on February 18, 2009, the recipients of its prestigious Kitchen Innovations™ (KI) Award for 2009. This year’s awardees give the restaurant and hospitality industry new, state-of-the-art solutions to enhance productivity, save energy and water, and maximize space and functionality in the back of the house. ENERGY STAR partners are prominently featured on NRA’s list of winners for their inventive approachs to conserving resources in commercial kitchens and are listed below (in alphabetical order by company):
On March 31, 2009, ITW Food Equipment Group (ITW FEG) received an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for the second consecutive year. ITW FEG is the parent organization of independent companies such as Hobart, Stero, Vulcan, Traulsen and Wittco, all of which design and manufacture CFS equipment. 
immediately upon finalization of the Version 2.0 specifications. However, the new Version 2.0 requirements for solid door units will not go into effect until January 1, 2010. 
Award pavilion, and attend educational talks about the restaurant industry. The ENERGY STAR team will attend the show, meeting with manufacturers and presenting at educational sessions. If you have any questions about the ENERGY STAR program and would like to meet with the ENERGY STAR team while you at the show, please e-mail Jeffery Clark, ICF International, at 
For more information, visit: www.energystar.gov/cfs |
|---|