GFENGas Foodservice Equipment Network

NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

Meeting Your Green ObjectivesTactics and Resources

by Tom Stroozas – CFE, RCGC, CFSPGFEN Consulting Editor

According to recent National Restaurant Association (NRA) research, interest in environmental sustainability continues to grow in today’s restaurant community. Restaurants are evaluating

and participating in e!orts to save resources as well as utility costs throughout the country. In an e!ort to reduce environmental stress and set examples for the general population, many of today’s leading restaurateurs have established protocols for reducing energy and water costs. O"en these protocols involve strategic changes in building designs, recycling procedures and appliance upgrades to newer and more energy e#cient models.

NRA’s survey of 1,000 full-service and quick-service operators found that nearly three-quarters of

operators recycled used fryer oil, fats, and grease. More than six in 10 recycled cardboard and paper, used compact $uorescent lighting and bought products made of recycled materials. About three in 10 installed faucet aerators to conserve water.

%e restaurant industry uses a great deal of water and energy to heat and air condition facilities, operate cooking equipment, and clean dishes and silverware. In addition, packaging for carryout items typically produces considerable amounts of waste. %ere are several key resources available to help restaurateurs who have an interest in green operating procedures incorporate environmental objectives and goals in company policies.

Positively Green%e Green Restaurant Association (GRA) has a proven track record of helping restaurants positively change their environmental impact in ways that bene&t the bottom line, increase employee morale, and improve public relations. %ey provide Environmental Assessments Green Certi&cation, Public Relations and Marketing Initiatives for your restaurant.

Since 1990, the GRA has been building the world’s largest database of environmental solutions for the restaurant industry. Whether your goal is to decrease costs, achieve zero waste, or simply make a few changes that customers will see, GRA consultants will provide detailed solutions to help you reach your goals.

%e GRA has been very successful in helping its restaurants gain positive media exposure. Certi&ed Green Restaurants® have access to GRA’s Communications Manager, who serves as a resource in developing press releases, media events, and other

10 COOKING FOR PROFIT comes to you compliments of your gas energy provider / December 2014

Meeting Your Green ObjectivesTactics and Resources

PR activities. %ey also help you integrate certi&cation messages into your menus, websites, table tents, and other marketing programs.

Bright Ideas for SustainabilityEarlier this year, NRA’s sustainability initiative, ‘Conserve’ debuted “Bright Ideas,” its &rst-ever sustainability newsletter, which o!ers tips on eco-friendly practices and tools for foodservice operators. It features a variety of videos, case studies, and personal accounts of chain and independent operators who have achieved success by practicing sustainability at their businesses.

Nationally recognized subject matter experts including Clarice Turner, vice president of U.S. business development for Starbucks Co!ee Co., George McKerrow Jr., co-founder and CEO of Ted’s Montana Grill, and Dan Simons, operating partner of Founding Farmers’ restaurants, share their best practices. Blog posts and news stories provide additional information on trends that impact restaurants and tips that will help improve operations.

Natural Gas Is a Key IngredientWhen it comes to choosing cooking equipment and using energy wisely, the Gas Foodservice Equipment Network (GFEN), a consortium of natural gas utilities

from the U.S. and Canada, can not only help you select the best natural gas appliances for your foodservice establishment, but can also guide you to the resources that will help your restaurant become more environmentally responsible. Operators that upgrade their facilities with modern energy e#cient natural gas equipment signi&cantly reduce their overall energy costs and carbon footprints.

%e Energy Information Administration (EIA) data shows a breakdown of foodservice energy usage with approximately 17% of all energy used for space heating, 16% for water heating, 25% for cooking, and approximately 42% for all other energy use. Since cooking is one of the highest energy uses in a foodservice facility, let’s discuss this &rst.

Taking steps to reduce energy consumption goes a long way toward helping a restaurant become green. Turning on all appliances &rst thing every morning is wasteful if you do not need the appliance until later in the day. Developing proper operating procedures and a program to assure employees adhere to them can be the fastest and least expensive way to reduce energy consumption.

If you are replacing or adding foodservice equipment it also pays to look for the Energy Star label. Energy Star now rates the energy e#ciency of many

COOKING FOR PROFIT comes to you compliments of your gas energy provider / December 2014 11

types of foodservice equipment; go to www.energystar.gov for an updated listing.

Energy Conservation & Global Warming Electricity forecasters tell us that our demand for power will increase by some 18% over the next 10 years, but con&rmed generation capacity – the sources of electricity that we will need – will grow by only 8.5%. Since nearly &"y percent of all electricity generated in North America is derived from coal burning generating plants, this increased electric demand may increase costs and certainly will increase carbon emissions.

Expansion and strengthening of the power grid and the hardware that’s needed to transmit and deliver that power to your restaurant continues to lag. %e transmission grid is expected to grow by only about 9% in the United States. As a result, a sudden surge in weather-related disruptions, i.e. hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. or construction delays could leave us with more periodic disruptions in electrical power. %erefore, increasing your on-site use of gas appliances will reduce your dependency on the grid and help prevent power interruptions.

TEE is the Real KeySome operators perceive electric equipment as being green because they cannot see any emissions coming from the appliance. Although some electric

cooking equipment can be a bit more e#cient at the site, you really need to look back at the energy source and how it is delivered to your restaurant to determine the true environmental impact. Natural gas equipment uses less energy at the source, delivers a higher percentage of its energy to the site, and is therefore more environmentally friendly. In addition, natural gas is typically less expensive in most areas of North America, and is generally preferred by professional chefs.

Measuring the e#ciency of the entire energy cycle from production through the actual point of use is called “total energy e#ciency” or TEE. So the reason that natural gas is still less expensive and a

“greener” energy source than electricity is that it has a higher TEE (cumulative amount of BTUs delivered from the point of extraction to the point of use). Although electric appliances have higher e#ciency at the site (point of use), the energy lost in generation and transmission to the point of use is the reason for generally higher costs on a BTU to BTU comparison.

As an example, let’s assume that we start with 100,000 BTUs of coal, and convert it into electricity at a power plant, transfer it via wires to your restaurant, where it then “goes to work” in your kitchen. During this process, we have lost 73% of our original energy, thereby delivering only 27,000 BTUs to your facility. On the other hand, when we start with that same 100,000 BTUs of natural gas at the wellhead and send it directly to your restaurant through a series of underground pipelines, we’ve delivered 90,000 BTUs of useable energy. %us losing only 10,000 BTUs during the process. %is is the cumulative delivered energy factor that makes the cost of natural gas signi&cantly less expensive than electricity – up to 75% less in many cases!

GFENGas Foodservice Equipment Network

12 COOKING FOR PROFIT comes to you compliments of your gas energy provider / December 2014

Bottom Line SavingsAnnual Electric Fryer Cost (2 fryers)

$2,038 kWd +$3,484 kW = $5,522 electricity/year + 65,894 lbs. CO(CO! based upon 2.08 lbs./kWh coal generated)

Annual Gas Fryer Cost (2 fryers)1,584 therms/year x $.86/therm = $1,362 gas/year + 17,830 lbs. CO

(CO! based upon 11.7 pounds/therm of gas burned)