U. S. restaurants spend more than $5 billion per year on energy; in 2006, an estimated median expenditure of $161 per seat. Power use per square foot in a foodservice facility is greater than in any other kind of commercial building-more than triple what a hospital utilizes per square foot and at least six times what an office creating uses per square foot. On your profit-and-loss statement, utility expenses will be only 4 to 7 percent of the total operating expenses.

However, National Restaurant Association studies suggest they are expenses that could be cut by as much as 20 percent with smarter energy consumption; utility companies claim you can realize savings as high as 30 percent. These potential savings, of course, have a major and direct impact on your bottom-line profit. And remember, simply because its energy use is so higher, this kind of company is especially vulnerable to fluctuations in energy expenses.

Until the early 1970s, when the United States experienced its first energy crisis since World War II, most restaurateurs were simply not focused on cutting energy use. When budgets needed to become trimmed, the emphasis was on curtailing labor expenses, insurance expenses, and-as always-food expenses. It seemed downright miserly to fret more than when to turn on an oven or whether to adjust the air conditioner a couple of degrees warmer. Today, nevertheless, it’s considered forward thinking to conserve resources by operating more efficiently.

At times, this requires making financial investments in equipment, mechanical or electrical techniques, and the building itself. For the typical restaurant, these investments usually make sense only if the initial expense can be recouped within five years. The greatest method to save both power and cash is to plan and implement an Power Management Program, which consists of six components:

1. Power accounting. A monthly tabulation of energy use and costs will allow the owners of a company to track this data, season to season and year to year. Put it on a standard form or spreadsheet. Include the info from your power bills: total expenses, total amount of consumption, and demand charges.

2. Retrofitting. In foodservice, about half of energy conservation comes from retrofitting to make existing appliances, techniques, or buildings more energyefficient. This retrofitting includes everything from increasing the insulation in the creating, to insulating the hot-water tanks, to installing timers on outside lighting and climate control techniques. A retrofit project generally makes sense only when you know it will end up paying for itself in cost savings inside a few years.

3. Low-cost and no-cost ideas. Before you do the retrofitting, which costs cash, try changing the habits of your staff and their routines. Turn off lights in unoccupied areas; don’t leave appliances on when they aren’t being used; ask your staff members for energy-saving ideas, then put them to work.

4. Capital project. Like home improvements that add value to a house, similar improvements add worth to a business. New technology may have a higher price tag, but think about its long-term usefulness. Computerizing the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to turn on and off automatically and hold predetermined temperatures can result in huge savings over time. Cogeneration is adding new equipment that captures “wasted” heat from appliances and uses it to heat water or generate steam. When appliances wear out and need to be replaced, look for the newest energy-saving features.

5. Continued surveillance. So that you can make any of the other five steps effective, they must be monitored and their importance should be communicated to the staff. Soon you’ll be documenting savings rather than dreading every month’s utility bills.

Franco Zinzi has been involved with online marketing for nearly 3 years and likes to write on various subjects. Come visit his latest website which discusses of and for the owner of his own business.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles. com/?expert=Franco_Zinzi

The first measurement for the “Top 10 Green Projects Awards” is based on Sustainable Design Intent and Innovation. Here the jury looked at the concept and innovative programming opportunities within the project. The key issues l covered how and why certain environmental issues became important priorities. Other topics included how goals and concepts were expressed in the design and how sustainability measures lead to a better overall project designs.

The second measure is the Regional/Community Design and Connectivity. Here, sustainable design “values the unique cultural and natural character of a given region”. They measure this by focusing on transportation policies, regional and community connectivity and how the design relates to local context.

Land Use and Site Ecology is the third measure. Here the jury look at the watershed, air, and water quality in the context of ecological design. They explore the project in terms of benefits for the ecosystems and wildlife habitat in the presence of human development.

The Bioclimatic Design measures the project were its conservation leans towards resources of regional climate conditions. This is measured through the site and climatic analysis, and strategies used that reduce or eliminate the need for non-renewable energy resources. Writers of a thesis have to keep in mind that my resources the teachers are looking forward to some writing that is exceptionally written and is totally flawless.

The first award for Green Projects was presented to the Yale Sculpture Building and Gallery. The project is on a former brownfield site, and has included various transportation options with bicycle stalls, and five bus line stops.

As part of their design they have installed waterless urinals, dual-flush toilet and collecting rainwater from the roof as part of their grey water solution. For energy, they designed the structure to include as many south facing windows to provide daylight without glare in the summer.

Here in South Africa, Green Building Media and Conferences, with Schneider Electric and the University of Johannesburg, launched their Green Building Award competition in the retrofitting area. They will be recognising excellence in relation to retrofitting of buildings for energy efficiency.

The first Green Building Award was announced during the Retrofitting Seminar, held earlier this year in three cities in South Africa. More information regarding the award will be displayed on the.

Celeste is the editor for which is an information portal for all professionals in the Built Enviroment, focusing on the issues around They have a monthly e-Journal that is edited by Llewellyn van Wyk, the head of the CSIR. Green Building Media also hosts th Green Building Conference of South Africa, and has expanded thier portfolio of events to include the Retrofitting Seminar, which launched this year.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles. com/?expert=Celeste_Bennet

.