Boosting Restaurant Profits With Energy Efficiency

Introduction

Cook Up Some Savings

Square-foot for square-foot, restaurants rank among the most energy-intensive commercial spaces in California. It's not just the cooking equipment that's to blame-heating, cooling, lighting and sanitation each account for major portions of the average restaurant's electricity and natural gas consumption.


As you might guess, all that energy use means there's a lot of room to start saving. But here's something you might not have guessed: Saving energy-and thus saving money-is easy. In some cases, it's as simple as changing a few everyday practices.

Take broilers, for example. Cutting out only one hour each day of broiler "on" time can translate to a savings of around $450 annually. While $450 might not sound like much at first, it could be huge when you think in terms of your profit margin. Consider this: If your restaurant operates with a profit margin of around 5 percent, you'll need about $9,000 worth of sales to earn $450.

Every dollar saved through energy efficiency is a dollar profit-and even modest improvements to efficiency can lead to major leaps in overall profits.

Energy audits

An energy audit is a great way to learn about your energy use and to identify custom efficiency options. Depending on your utility provider, both on-site and online options may be available-possibly for free. Log on to Flex Your Power's Rebates, Incentives & Services Locator to find programs in your area. Find it at