Our client, Pizza Hut of MD, operates 48 locations. Energy Efficient Technologies began working with a Baltimore Pizza Hut in 2008, installing 175 sensors to capture all operational and energy data in one location. After a year of data analysis, our engineering staff started to methodically test one technology at a time to evaluate effectiveness and verify manufacturers' claims. These efforts led to an immediate 47% reduction in energy consumption.

There were several problems such as employees forgetting to close refrigerator and freezer doors, leaving the lights on, and letting the HVAC system run overnight. Additionally, there was no way to control how employees were managing the lights and temperature during the day.

Highlights From The First Phase of Energy Efficient Upgrades

• Developed and deployed autonomous control system with web page access to reduce carbon footprint, energy usage and peak demand
• Timed controls to turn the lights and HVAC up or down, depending on occupancy
• Employees are alerted to close walk-in freezer doors
• By arming the security panel as the employee closes up for the night, the building goes into “nighttime mode” in which ovens, lights, HVAC and the fireplace are turned off or on a very low setting automatically
• E-mail advisories are sent out 24/7 to the maintenance crew, who can learn about the specifics of a problem as it occurs — whether it’s routine or an emergency — on a dedicated webpage. The page also provides immediate access to equipment documentation and parts specifications
• The entire store is monitored and controlled from a web-based system that can be accessed via smart-phone, iPad or computer
• HVAC and refrigeration and ice machines were optimized using ECM now known as CryoGenX4
• Lighting was upgraded to LED
• Variable speed vent hoods installed to save energy in non-peak cooking times

HVAC and Refrigeration Savings Validated with ECM (now known as CryoGenX4)

Restaurant Equipment treated:

1.Walk-in Freezer
2.Walk-in Refrigerator
3. Kitchen Rooftop HVAC
4. Dining Room Rooftop HVAC
5. Reach-in Refrigerator

This equipment was only 2 years old.

On top of the energy savings, our solution has greatly reduced the loss of food product. For example, a worker who neglects to close the cooler door is confronted with escalating alerts: a flashing yellow light, followed by a siren, followed by an email to the boss. After one week, door alarms went from 90 a week to 3 -- and those were deliveries.

Since everything is logged tracked and trended, FDA inspections became easy, as the web page on a cell phone shows the inspector temperatures in the coolers and freezers over the past hour/day/week/month/year.

Local electric utility rebates funded 50 percent of Phase 1 of the project.

Next, EET went to work optimizing the other 47 stores in the portfolio and used the enhanced operation and maintenance tune up program from the local utility to further help reduce energy usage and ensure equipment was operating correctly.

Here’s what our client had to say:

“I am always getting more money back in a shorter period of time than anyone expected…it’s so easy for me to monitor how much money I saved…and the technologies and system is just so awesome, you can’t ask for better.”

Ed Abell, Director of Facilities, Pizza Hut of Md., Inc.