Resturant Equipment ENERGY STAR Commercial Kitchen Package

                     

Choose an ENERGY STAR Commercial Kitchen Package

According to Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Food Service Technology Center, as much as 80 percent of the $10 billion annual energy bill for the commercial food service (CFS) sector does no useful work. These lost energy dollars are often wasted in the form of excess heat and noise generated by inefficient appliances, heating ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting and refrigeration.

                           Manage Costs

To help counter these costs, ENERGY STAR helps restaurant owners and operators improve the performance of their facilities and equipment while reducing energy costs. Restaurants that invest strategically can cut utility costs 10 to 30 percent without sacrificing service, quality, style or comfort - while making significant contributions to a cleaner environment.

Restaurants, or facilities with commercial kitchens, feature the majority of this equipment and consume significantly more energy than other types of buildings - using approximately 250,000 Btu/sq.ft.

ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can be an answer to mounting energy bills. Purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment as a package for new kitchen construction or as a replacement for aging equipment, can save significant amounts of money and energy on foodservice operators' electric, gas, water and sewer bills.

Save Energy, Save Money

Outfitting an entire kitchen with a suite of ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment could save operators about 350 Mbtu/year annually, or the equivalent of approximately $3,600.

Besides saving energy, ENERGY STAR qualified steam cookers and commercial dishwashers save water. Steam cookers that have earned the ENERGY STAR are 90 percent more water efficient than non-qualified steam cookers; an ENERGY STAR qualified commercial dishwasher is 25 percent more water efficient than standard models.

Related Information

Guidebooks
ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants (820KB)

Equipment Savings Fact Sheet (1.06M)
CFS Program Administrator Guide for Utilities (418KB)
Importing Regulated CFS Products into Canada (48KB)

Case Studies
Austin Public Schools Case Study (884KB)
Saratoga Restaurant Equipment Sales Case Study (203KB)
Kessenich’s Ltd. Case Study (192KB)

Newsletters

ENERGY STAR CFS January 2010 Newsletter
ENERGY STAR CFS October 2009 Newsletter
Helpful Web Sites

Food Service Technology Center

Consortium for Energy Efficiency's (CEE) Commercial Kitchens Initiative
National Restaurant Association's Conserve Initiative

Contact Scott's Contracting, St Louis Renewable Energy for additional information < WEB or email>scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.comscotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com

Electric cars Proper Set Up

Info by: Scotty, Scott's Contracting, St Louis Renewable Energy

Park and Plug


Electric cars are around the corner. Will your green buyers have a place to plug in?

By:Katy Tomasulo

The Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle with a 230 miles-per-gallon rating, is shown in front of the GreenHouse, a custom-built 4,000 sq-ft "carbon neutral" house in MacLean, Virginia Tuesday, September 22, 2009. The Volt will travel 40 miles on a single charge, meaning it could drive to Washington, DC and back twice from this location, without using a drop of gas. GreenHouse was designed and constructed using the latest environmental technologies, including solar hot water and electricity, a green roof system, rain water capture, geothermal heating/cooling and much more. The house will be open to the public for tours October 10-30. (Photo by Mark Finkenstaedt for General Motors)

Credit: GM
GM’s recent announcement that its all-electric Chevy Volt will hit the showroom floor by the end of 2010 signaled a major shift in the evolution of plug-in vehicles. With other major manufacturers working on similar initiatives, it looks like electric cars may be hitting the mainstream.

Fully charged, the Volt will run for 40 miles on battery power, which means a typical commuter can travel all week to and from work without using any gas. A gas-powered extended-range mode provides an additional 300 miles. GM places the Volt’s miles per gallon at 230 and estimates it will consume 25 kWh—about $2.75—for every 100 miles.

Ford is not far behind, with plans to have its all-electric Focus available in 2011. Nissan, Toyota, and Honda also have announced upcoming rollouts.

In preparation, builders should be planning ahead to ensure the houses they sell are ready if and when occupants go the plug-in route. “If we’re not ready to get buildings outfitted today, there’s going to be a lot of incurred costs later on,” says Britta Gross, GM’s director of global energy systems and infrastructure commercialization.

Luckily, builders and drivers won’t face unfamiliar technology: The Volt simply plugs into a three-pronged outlet via an extension cord; Gross says the Volt charges in eight hours on a 120-volt/15-amp outlet or in about three hours on a 240-volt/30-amp outlet. Though most detached houses already contain a 120-volt outlet in the garage, forward-thinking builders should consider installing a 240-volt outlet no more than 25 feet from parking spots and providing a dedicated circuit.

Ford also recommends a dedicated 240-volt line to the garage, with 80 to 100 amps to accommodate two cars at 40 amps each. Ford will require a “charge point,” a hard-wired box that contains the cord and ensures it isn’t charged unless it’s plugged into the car.
For multifamily buildings with underground garages, Gross suggests installing a 240-volt outlet at each stall, along with appropriate upgraded transformers, or at least having a percentage of dedicated spaces.

Determining how many parking spaces is still up in the air. In Vancouver, a new building standard will require new multifamily projects to include wiring for vehicle charging in a minimum of 20% of parking stalls. Each building’s electrical capacity must be able to accommodate a load created if each of those stalls were in use simultaneously.

“Consumers … expect a plug for the dryer and stove, and in very short order, they’re going to expect an outlet in their garage,” says John Stonier, spokesperson for the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association. “It’s not a big stretch to do this, and it doesn’t cost very much.”
—Katy Tomasulohttp ://www.ecohomemagazine.com/home-technology/park-and-plug.aspx

Scott's Contracting will custom build or renovate your garage for the needed Electric Hook-Ups for your Electric Car

HVAC Best Fit- Renewable Energy Blog Page Reopened

Alternative Energy Blog Page Reopened!!!

Doing It Right: Finding the HVAC Best Fit

EFFICIENCY LEVELS: HVAC... air conditioning equipment must meet both the SEER and EER to qualify. “If it meets 13 EER, it will automatically meet 16 SEER. But not the other way around,” he says.

FURNACE CHOICE: ...the 95% efficiency level for a gas furnace is easiest to reach, but it’s not always the best choice, based on climate. “In the northern states, [clients] get their money back sooner, but for southern states, A/C or heat pumps are better.”
SYSTEM COMBINATIONS: Contractors need to install the right combination of HVAC equipment to meet the efficiency levels. For example, matching the A/C condenser outside with the right furnace or air handler inside.

SPACE CONSIDERATIONS: John Hurst, vice president of product management with Richardson, Texas–based Lennox, says that many product installations have space constraints, particularly for the furnace and air handler. Local codes governing chimney size for venting and make-up air will also affect installation parameters. Frederick Air sales manager John Poyle offers an example: “If my house has a 3-ton air conditioner, and I want a 20 SEER unit, a manufacturer will say, this unit comes up to 20 SEER. But I may need a 5-ton coil to get that 20 SEER efficiency from the unit. But that coil is massive and won’t fit in my basement because of the low ceiling.”
To choose the best solution for the customer, make sure that the HVAC contractor reviews existing conditions, including the orientation of the house, shading, and existing insulation, as well as lifestyle considerations such as how the customer uses the system and what changes they plan for the future.

Info Provided by: Scotty, Scott's Contracting, http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com/ Leave comments below or email: scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional info or pricing

Blog Posting on BlogSpot Re-Opened

Blog Posting Re-opened.