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Success Story: Goody, Goody Restaurant

Partner Information

Goody, Goody Restaurant, St. Louis, Missouri
3,200 Sq. Feet
Annual Cash Savings: $1,323
Annual Energy savings: 17,196 kWh
Payback period: 1.5 years
Prevented 34,671 pounds of pollution

Service and Product Provider

Union Electric

Restaurant Cooks up Bright Idea

When Richard Connelly, owner of Goody, Goody restaurant in St. Louis, MO, first heard about energy efficiency, it made sense to him. Improving the family-owned restaurant and getting something in return seemed like a good idea. Since the improvements have been installed, the company has seen savings of $1,323 per year, which was achieved by upgrading old lighting to acquire new lighting.

Good Business

The family-owned and family-operated Goody, Goody Restaurant has been in business for 44 years. Operating six days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, the restaurant has 21 employees who keep busy preparing breakfasts and lunches, while managers and owners try to reduce costs, improve profits, and maintain the quality service their customers have come to expect. So upgrading the lights to make the restaurant look brighter while saving on energy costs was a business decision Connelly could not pass up.

Good Lighting

In April 1997, Connelly signed up for an energy audit to get recommendations on improving his energy usage. The energy audit offered by his utility, Union Electric, provided helpful insight. A breakdown of the energy usage showed that the lighting system was a high energy user and that there was room for improvement and savings.

For instance, the energy audit recommended a new wiring design for the kitchen lights to allow Connelly to turn 7 of the 14 lights off at night. Connelly realized that implementing this simple procedure would save him $417 per year. Another recommendation suggested changing 20 100-W incandescent lamps to lower wattage compact fluorescent lamps. Compact fluorescent lamps are more efficient and last 10 times longer than incandescent lamps. These lamps produce “crisp” light that makes the restaurant look brighter, enticing customers to stop for lunch, an added bonus to the $446 saved per year in energy costs.

The audit specifically recommended changing 20 standard fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts to T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts. The audit report had projected a cost of $1,200. After shopping around, Connelly was able to contract it out for only $600. Since the storage room is unoccupied 90 percent of the time, Connelly is considering installing motion sensors that will turn the lights on and off. He calculated that the sensors will reduce his electric bill by $83 per year.

More Good News

Connelly plans to implement additional cost-saving measures to reap the maximum benefits from the restaurant’s lighting upgrade. More fixtures will be replaced in the near future, which will further reduce his energy bill and increase his savings.