Partner Spotlight:
Iowa Restaurant Association and Iowa Utilities Share ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants
 The Iowa Restaurant Association (IRA) has collaborated with three Iowa utilities (all ENERGY STAR partners) to leverage the ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants and feature it as a tear-out in the December 2011 edition of the IRA's Food & Beverage Quarterly, pictured below.
Alliant Energy, Black Hills Energy, MidAmerican Energy, and the IRA worked together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to co-brand the Guide before distributing it to over 5,000 bars and restaurants in Iowa. The Guide emphasizes the availability of incentives in the state and highlights the benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified commercial food service (CFS) equipment. Co-branding the ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants gave IRA and the utilities a unique and effective way to reach consumers and to promote energy efficiency in the CFS industry.
If your organization is interested in co-branding the ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants, please contact commercialfoodservice@energystar.gov for more information.
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2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast: Growing Demand for Efficient Food Service Equipment
 On February 1, 2012, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) released its annual Restaurant Industry Forecast which profiles restaurant-industry opportunities and challenges for the year ahead.
The 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast looked at trends in conservation and found that a growing number of consumers are looking for sustainable restaurants. The study shows that operators are investing in energy-efficient food service equipment to capture this segment of the market. Several key points from the study include:
- 41 percent of adults say they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on an operation's conservation practices;
- A majority of restaurant operators across all segments plan to invest in energy-saving kitchen equipment in 2012; and
- 72 to 73 percent of casual-dining and fast-casual operators plan to invest in energy-saving kitchen equipment in 2012.
For more information on trends from the 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast, visit: http://www.restaurant.org/research/forecast/. To view NRA's "Restaurants go 'greener' in 2012" article, see here.
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Product Development Updates
EPA is currently working to revise the following ENERGY STAR CFS equipment specifications. For more information about these specification revision updates, please visit the ENERGY STAR Product Development website at: www.energystar.gov/revisedspecs.
Commercial Dishwashers
EPA and DOE held a stakeholder webinar in late January to discuss the second draft of the ENERGY STAR Test Method for measuring idle energy and water consumption. EPA plans to release a Final Draft Version 2.0 specification and Test Method for stakeholder review in April followed by publication of the final versions in May 2012. Under the new Version 2.0 specification, flight type machines will be able to qualify for the ENERGY STAR immediately. The new performance requirements will go into effect in February 2013 for all other product types.
Commercial Ice Makers
Following the release of the final ruling of DOE's Automatic Commercial Ice Maker Test Method, EPA released the Final Draft Version 2.0 Automatic Commercial Ice Makers specification on January 31, 2012. The specification, which has been expanded to include performance levels for air-cooled flake and nugget machines, is slated for release this spring. The specification will allow for immediate qualification of continuous-type ice makers and will set an effective date of early 2013 for batch-type ice makers. The ENERGY STAR Automatic Commercial Ice Maker Final Draft Test Method (Rev. Mar-2012) was released on March 29, 2012. EPA encourages stakeholders to provide their feedback and comments by April 18, 2012 to icemachines@energystar.gov.
Commercial Ovens
EPA is currently revising the ENERGY STAR Commercial Oven specification to include combination ovens. EPA held a stakeholder webinar in mid-December to discuss proposed considerations for the specification under revision and the test data needed to expand the specification to include combination ovens. The Draft 1 Version 2.0 specification was released on March 9, 2012 and stakeholder feedback is due to commercialovens@energystar.gov by April 6, 2012.
Stakeholders with questions or comments on CFS product development can contact Christopher Kent, EPA, at (202) 343-9046 or kent.christopher@epa.gov or Rebecca Duff, ICF International, at (434) 202-7875 or rduff@icfi.com.
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Upcoming & Recent Events
NRA Show 2012
Christopher Kent and Una Song, EPA, and additional ENERGY STAR team members will be attending the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show 2012 from May 5-8 in Chicago, IL. The ENERGY STAR team will be visiting partners on the showroom floor and providing educational materials via the NRA's Conserve Solutions Center.
There will be a stakeholder meeting during the show to discuss the specification revision effort for commercial ovens and EPA invites all stakeholders to attend. For more information on the specification development process for commercial ovens, see the Product Development Updates article above.
EPA will review marketing materials prior to the show upon partner request. In addition, EPA invites partners to schedule individual meetings to discuss questions regarding partnership, marketing, third-party certification, or general program direction. Partners and other stakeholders should email commercialfoodservice@energystar.gov to schedule a meeting.
Edison Electric Institute Key Accounts Workshop
A representative from the ENERGY STAR team attended the Spring Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Key Accounts Workshop in mid-March in San Diego, CA. EEI provides the ENERGY STAR program a great opportunity to engage with energy managers and other leaders in the food service industry who understand the importance of energy efficiency and the benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified equipment in their operations. Restaurateurs who wish to collaborate with ENERGY STAR are encouraged to contact Una Song, EPA (Song.Una@epa.gov) or Natalie Chadwick (nchadwick@icfi.com).
PRIDE Marketing & Procurement conference
Representatives from the ENERGY STAR team will be attending PRIDE Marketing & Procurement's Spring 2012 Conference in New York, NY from April 16-18, 2012. PRIDE partnered with ENERGY STAR in August 2011 and has quickly taken advantage of educational opportunities for their members. Many of PRIDE's dealer members have partnered directly with ENERGY STAR over the past year. This conference will provide the program a great opportunity to connect with new and prospective dealer partners and help explain the benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment.
EPA welcomes the opportunity to provide educational seminars for other dealers and sales representatives. If you are interested in scheduling a seminar, please contact Natalie Chadwick (nchadwick@icfi.com).
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Look for the next Commercial Food Service Newsletter in June!
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ENERGY STAR Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
This year, EPA is proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program. For two decades, ENERGY STAR has helped millions of Americans and thousands of businesses save energy, save money, and protect the climate. The ENERGY STAR program is remarkable not just because of its energy-saving and environmental accomplishments but because it is a model for changing the behavior of consumers and businesses. Real change for the better is possible when powerful elements converge:
• A diverse and wide ranging set of program partners;
• An effective educational platform with a widely recognized consumer brand at its center;
• A data-based, systematic approach to defining and evaluating energy saving opportunities; and
• An unwavering emphasis on integrity.
Launched in 1992 as a cutting edge public-private partnership, the goal of the ENERGY STAR program has been to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing market barriers that prevent consumers and businesses from making energy-efficient choices. The ENERGY STAR program is the most successful voluntary program in the federal government and is regarded as the trusted source of unbiased information to help Americans identify reliable and cost-effective energy saving solutions. Today, ENERGY STAR is one of the most well-known brands in the country, with over 80 percent of Americans recognizing it as the symbol of superior energy efficiency.
The ENERGY STAR label can be found on products in more than 60 different categories, with more than five billion sold over the past 20 years. Nearly 20,000 organizations partner with EPA in the ENERGY STAR program, including over 1,700 manufacturers using the ENERGY STAR mark to label more than 40,000 products. Over one million new homes and tens of thousands facilities now proudly carry EPA's ENERGY STAR certification, use dramatically less energy, and are responsible for substantially less greenhouse gas emissions than their peers. Together with help from ENERGY STAR, American families and businesses have saved a total of nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the past 20 years.
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2012 ENERGY STAR Awards
EPA would like to congratulate the four ENERGY STAR CFS manufacturer partners that were honored at this year's ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony, held March 15, 2012 in Washington, DC. The ceremony is hosted each year by EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to recognize organizations for their exceptional commitment to energy efficiency.
ITW Food Equipment Group (ITW FEG) was once again awarded the ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence for its dedication to offering energy-efficient products; supporting the ENERGY STAR specification development process; and educating industry members, consumers, and employees on energy management and the benefits of ENERGY STAR.
ITW FEG accepts the ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence.
Manitowoc Foodservice Group accepted the ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence for its continued commitment to corporate sustainability, prominent ENERGY STAR marketing, and expanding its ENERGY STAR qualified product portfolio by over 950 models in 2011.
Manitowoc accepts the ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence.
Scotsman Ice Systems received the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its exceptional efforts to design a highly-efficient ice machine product line and its innovative marketing efforts. Scotsman’s efforts include earning a product feature spot in the North American Food Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) 2011 “What’s Hot! What’s Cool!” new product gallery for a new ENERGY STAR qualified ice machine model.
Scotsman accepts the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award.
Hoshizaki America received the ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence for its outstanding promotion of ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment. Hoshizaki earned the ENERGY STAR for 98 percent of its models in 2011 and successfully incorporated ENERGY STAR messaging into its promotional efforts, including industry tradeshow exhibits, its product website, and ENERGY STAR-themed community outreach activities.
Hoshizaki accepts the ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence.
For more information on the 2012 ENERGY STAR Award winners and to view the Profiles in Leadership: 2012 ENERGY STAR Award Winners report, please visit www.energystar.gov/awards.
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Conserve Sustainability Education Program Update
The National Restaurant Association's Conserve Sustainability Education ProgramSM (Conserve) continues to evolve. Conserve is an online resource designed to help restaurateurs improve their sustainability efforts regardless of their starting point. Participants can create a completely new sustainability program or build upon what they are already doing. The program includes a customizable action plan with more than 90 industry-tried best practices and 64 educational how-to videos, making the complex path to enhanced restaurant sustainability clear and easy to understand.
Conserve helps restaurateurs minimize their waste as well as significantly reduce their energy and water use—driving down costs for restaurant owners and leaving a lighter footprint on our environment. Included in the program's best practices is the installation of ENERGY STAR qualified commercial food service equipment across the eight eligible equipment categories. The program also encourages restaurateurs to implement other energy-saving actions to improve the efficiency of restaurant operations.
The Conserve Solutions Center (CSC) will once again be included at the upcoming NRA Show 2012. The CSC is a pavilion on the NRA Show floor dedicated to helping buyers easily find "sustainability related" products and services. Conserve welcomes ENERGY STAR partners and stakeholders to visit the CSC during the show to learn more about how these products and services can help increase the sustainability of your operations.
For those interested in helping food service operators take full advantage of the Conserve program, please contact Sam Stanovich (Manager, Industry Relations) at sstanovich@restaurant.org or (312) 715-5375 for information on Conserve promotional opportunities.
Be sure to follow Conserve on Twitter at @ConserveNow and "like" Conserve on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RestaurantsConserve for relevant tips, news stories, and other updates. Additional information about the Conserve Sustainability Education Program may be found at http://conserve.restaurant.org/educationprogram.
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