If you walk into a grocery store and get cold instantly, you’re not alone. Most supermarkets run cold, according to Energy Star, the government backed program designed to help businesses reduce energy consumption and protect the environment.
At Uncle Giuseppe’s nine grocery store locations, you’ll find you’re never cold. That’s because they’ve invested in a special HVAC system that pushes warm air down and keeps temperatures comfortable, while saving on energy consumption. Recently, they’ve brought energy saving into the back of the house, with Energy Star certified equipment, supplied by Singer Equipment Company (Singer).
“We’re a family-owned business,” says Nick Stripp, Director of Facilities & Construction for Uncle Giuseppe’s. “We want to make sure that we’re taking care of the environment and the community.”
Stripp is currently overseeing the renovation of one location along with the build of a new store opening this fall. With sustainability and savings in mind, Singer specified a Pitco Energy Star approved Solstice fryer.
“If you knew how many chicken cutlets came out of that thing, you’d be shocked,” says Stripp. “We make a lot of chicken parm. Pitco is a great company. We’ve standardized them as our brand for fryers.”
The operators taking advantage of this program have large volume kitchens.
“When it comes to big, new construction, Singer really dominates the market,” says Kyle Coumas, 29, Senior Trade Ally Manager for Energy Solutions. “Those types of restaurants are where we’ve seen this program implemented the most.”
Another case study is at the Island Empanada franchise, also in Long Island.
“The fryer is the most important piece of equipment for us,” says Roy Pelaez, President & Founder. With a menu that relies heavily on frying capabilities, Pelaez was confident in the Energy Star models.
“We love the Pitco VF35. It works perfectly for our needs,” he says. “They recover very quickly. We absolutely love the product. It uses less gas, it’s more efficient and it’s saving me money.”
A wide spectrum of equipment applies for Energy Star’s equipment program, from warewashing to cooking to refrigeration, and its popularity is growing on at a crucial time. As businesses attempt to dig out from a mountain of struggle, our industry is now seeing unprecedented delays and restrictions to our supply chain, due to the COVID pandemic. It’s a time to reflect on our choices and embrace this great reset.
“When times are tough, this program makes a huge difference,” says Coumas, who works alongside utility companies to implement this program nationwide; it’s currently available in 12 states across America. “If we can lower our demand for power and gas, it’s going to save all of us a lot of money in the long run because these utility companies won’t have to invest billions of dollars in new infrastructure,” says Coumas.
The foodservice community has a unique responsibility. According to Our World in Data from the University of Oxford, food production is responsible for over 25% of the world’s gas emissions. The World Economic Forum (WEF) and others since have called 2020 ‘The Great Reset’, deeming this past year as the most important time to address climate change.
Institutions in major cities have already begun incentivizing change, sometimes forcefully. Anyone looking to build a commercial kitchen in New York City and Long Island in 2019 was met with a dramatic moratorium on gas supply by National Grid. The ban has since been lifted but the future of supply restriction remains uncertain. Companies like Energy Solutions have stepped in, alongside Singer, to provide a solution to the hospitality industry.
“Our team is educated and trained to qualify the opportunity to maximize any Energy Star rebate that might be available to the end user,” says Eugene Beniaminson, Lead Equipment Specialist (and resident Energy Star expert) at Singer.
Earth Day is April 22nd, but we should consider our planet every day. To see where you qualify for the Energy Star program today, email us at marketing@singerequipment.com.
