Wendy’s
Wendy’s Builds Burger With 18% Less Juice
What would happen if you designed a restaurant from the ground up and took advantage of every energy-saving option available? This question was addressed in a unique experiment conducted by Wendy’s International and the Electric Power Research Institute.
Two restaurants were studied over the period of a year. The first was a conventional Wendy’s with a typical mix of mid-efficiency gas and electric equipment. The second was a Wendy’s built from the ground up with similar building style and layout, but with high-efficiency, all-electric equipment.
Innovations - Here are some of the innovations included in the all-electric package:
- Lower-volume exhaust hoods matched with fryers that reduced cooking costs and reduced air conditioning needs by almost a ton
- Heat pump water heater that captured excess cooking heat to lower heating costs and make the kitchen more comfortable
- Efficient lighting package that cut the air conditioning load by two tons
- Air conditioning that operated in stages, drawing only as much power as cooling needs required.
Findings – The all-electric restaurant achieved substantial electric savings over the year. Total energy costs were 18 percent lower that an typical Wendy’s. The electric bill for the all-electric restaurant was also lower than the electric bill for the conventional restaurant. When sales volume was factored in, the all-electric restaurant spent 7.2 percent less on energy per equivalent sales.
Energy contributes 2.7 to 3.1 cents of every food service dollar. Given the slim profit margins in this industry, the energy savings enabled by innovative electrical equipment are impressive.
Does the Wendy’s experiment have implications for your company? Your Southern Company representative will be happy to help you find out. Call for an appointment.
