Many Thanks to ENERGY STAR Partners at the NRA Show 2010
 The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show 2010, held May 22 to 25, 2010, in Chicago, IL, attracted 58,000 registrants and over 1,700 exhibitors, including commercial food service (CFS) industry professionals from more than 100 countries. Several representatives from the ENERGY STAR team attended the four day event, including Una Song and Christopher Kent, ENERGY STAR program managers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
At the show, the ENERGY STAR team closely monitored and recorded how the ENERGY STAR label was being used on booths and marketing materials on the showroom floor. Overall, EPA was pleased with the innovative incorporation of the ENERGY STAR message in marketing displays. Partners showcased signage to highlight equipment energy-savings potential and displayed utility rebates for ENERGY STAR qualified equipment offered around the country. The ENERGY STAR team would like to thank all of our valued partners for their efforts during this year’s show.
EPA also held several successful events during the show, including:
National Restaurant Association Conserve/
ENERGY STAR Industry Networking Event
On the first evening of the show, Hobart sponsored the Conserve/ENERGY STAR industry networking event for restaurant industry representatives, including food service directors and consultants. The event was an opportunity to share ideas and best practices within the food service industry and take a break from the hectic NRA Show schedule. EPA would like to thank Hobart for sponsoring this event.
Hobart has been an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year since 2008 and was awarded the 2010 ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence. EPA appreciates their continued partnership which helped make this event a great success.
Education Session—Sustainability: Put more "green" in your pocket!
As part of a panel of experts, Una Song helped dispel the myth that sustainability costs more at the education session titled, Sustainability: Put more “green” in your pocket! (held Monday May 24).
Panel members outlined how taking practical steps such as conserving water and energy, producing less waste, and purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified equipment, can save restaurateurs significant money over time. The talk was hosted by Dr. Bruce Cords, Vice President of Environmental, Food Safety & Public Health at Ecolab (an ENERGY STAR partner). Other panel members included Richard Young, Director of Education at PG&E’s Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) and Joey Terrell, owner of a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified Denny's restaurant in Joliet, IL.
ENERGY STAR Stakeholder Meeting
EPA also held a stakeholder meeting on Monday, May 24 to discuss changes to the ENERGY STAR program. For more information, see article below.
Una Song, ENERGY STAR Program Manager for CFS, at the education session Sustainability: Put more "green" in your pocket!
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ENERGY STAR Enhanced Testing & Verification Meeting
On May 24, 2010, EPA hosted a stakeholder meeting and discussion during the NRA Show to outline the new draft enhanced testing and verification requirements, and to discuss how these requirements could impact the CFS industry.
Christopher Kent presented both the new qualification and reporting requirements (implemented during March and April 2010) and the draft proposals to be implemented later this year for further testing, reporting, and verification requirements. EPA envisions these changes will be an integral part of strengthening the ENERGY STAR program.
The presentation slides and meeting notes, along with an overview of the ENERGY STAR enhanced testing and verification updates, are available at: www.energystar.gov/testingandverification or www.energystar.gov/cfs (under “Helpful Web Sites”).
Please look for upcoming announcements regarding this effort. Questions or comments may be e-mailed to ENERGYSTARVerificationProgram@energystar.gov.
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Focusing on Sustainability:
Conserve Solutions Center & Greener Restaurants Program at the NRA Show
 
The National Restaurant Association’s Conserve Solutions Center (CSC) made its début at the NRA Show 2010. The CSC pavilion on the show floor was designed to introduce visitors to practical solutions that help improve restaurant sustainability and inspire them to make eco-friendly changes in their business practices. Approximately 800 attendees visited the CSC, including representatives from chain and independent restaurants, universities, and hotels. Individuals that visited the CSC, or listened to expert presentations at the CSC media center, came away with ideas on how to conserve energy, reduce waste, and purchase sustainable and ENERGY STAR qualified products.
The NRA Conserve Initiative also showcased a new recognition program called Greener Restaurants. This program was developed with the input from restaurant operators, PG&E FSTC, Kendall College, and the ENERGY STAR program, and provides restaurateurs with an opportunity to commit to sustainable environmental practices and receive recognition for their efforts. The program supplies checklists of sustainable business best practices and allows restaurant operators to track their progress online. The Greener Restaurants education and recognition program offers many advantages, including educational videos and resources, an online profile, customer service support, and promotional materials.
For more information about the Greener Restaurants program, visit: www.greenerrestaurants.com.
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ENERGY STAR CFS Product Development Update
EPA continues to revise the ENERGY STAR commercial hot food holding cabinet and commercial fryer specifications and recently announced plans to revisit the ENERGY STAR commercial dishwasher specification.
Commercial Hot Food Holding Cabinets
EPA released the Draft 3 Version 2.0 specification to stakeholders on June 16, 2010. Draft 3 addresses key remaining issues regarding large banquet carts, testing and qualification of product families, and the adoption of a newly revised ASTM test standard. Several minor clarifications have also been made to the specification, including the explicit exclusion of hot food holding cabinets that also provide proofing (i.e., dual function equipment). Due to the extended draft development process, EPA has pushed the effective date back to May 2, 2011, which aligns with the NRA Show 2011. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit written comments about the Draft 3 specification to commercialfoodservice@energystar.gov by July 14, 2010.
Commercial Fryers
On December 2, 2009, EPA announced the planned revision of the ENERGY STAR commercial fryer program requirements to determine new performance levels. EPA expects to focus on setting cooking energy efficiency and idle rate levels for large size fryers (e.g., 18 and 24 inches), but is also considering requirements for products smaller than 15 inches, based on available performance and market data. Manufacturers were asked to share data and information for these additional product categories to inform a Draft 1 proposal. EPA plans to release a Draft 1 specification this summer for review and comment.
Commercial Dishwashers
On May 13, 2010, EPA announced the planned revision of the ENERGY STAR commercial dishwasher specification. The proposed revision will include updated gallons per rack (GPR) and idle energy rate levels. EPA is also considering incorporating ASTM test standards in the specification to measure total machine energy consumption, including wash and rinse energy use. These ASTM procedures are still in the revision process, however, and will require manufacturer testing to build a sufficient database. EPA expects that this testing effort will take several months; therefore, EPA intends to move forward with GPR and idle energy rate revision efforts and evaluate potential total energy consumption requirements at a later date.
For more information, please visit the ENERGY STAR Product Development Web site: www.energystar.gov/revisedspecs.
Stakeholders with questions or comments about any of the CFS specification development efforts can contact Christopher Kent, EPA, at (202) 343-9046 or kent.christopher@epa.gov or Rebecca Duff, ICF International, at (202) 862-1266 or rduff@icfi.com.
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Two ENERGY STAR Partners Win Prestigious Awards
Yum! Brands Recognize Middleby as 2009 Supplier of the Year
The Middleby Corporation has won the Yum! Brands 2009 Supplier of the Year Award. Middleby is first ever equipment manufacturer to receive this honor.
The Middleby Corporation manufactures and markets a broad line of CFS equipment and is the parent company of several ENERGY STAR CFS partner brands, including Pitco, Blodgett, Carter Hoffmann, Star, Lang, and Southbend (among others).
Pitco, an ENERGY STAR Commercial Fryer partner, was selected as the 2009 Equipment Supplier of the Year by Taco Bell, which is part of Yum! Brands, Inc.
Congratulations to The Middleby Corporation brands and Pitco for winning such these prestigious awards.
McDonald's Awards Henny Penny 2009 Worldwide Equipment Supplier of the Year
Congratulations to Henny Penny Corporation, ENERGY STAR Manufacturing and Buildings partner, for recently being named McDonald's 2009 Worldwide Equipment Supplier of the Year.
Henny Penny won the award based on their new ENERGY STAR qualified Low Oil Volume open fryers, which reduce oil consumption through an innovative vat design and fast filtration, allowing operators to use the same oil for twice as many days.
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Savings Opportunity: Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Equipment
Restaurateurs, manufacturers, and distributors can save significant energy by using ENERGY STAR qualified Light Commercial Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (LCHVAC) equipment in commercial buildings. In fact, ENERGY STAR qualified LCHVAC products can save your business approximately $1.70 per square foot of space over the life of the equipment. For example, a 12,000 square foot building that installed such a unit could save more than $21,000 over the equipment’s lifetime.
The ENERGY STAR program recently revised the LCHVAC specification to cover split system and single package central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps. ENERGY STAR qualified LCHVAC equipment continues to use 7–10 percent less energy than standard equipment and to represent the top performing equipment in the market.
Currently, there are more than 100 ENERGY STAR qualified LCHVAC models. For more information, visit: www.energystar.gov/products (Under “Business & Government”).
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Look for the next Commercial Food Service Newsletter in October!
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