Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. announced today that it will work with Ecova, a total energy and sustainability management company, to create a comprehensive Strategic Energy Plan that will provide a short and long-term roadmap for actionable energy savings and measurement.
Experts at Ecova will support Arby’s to identify opportunities, set goals, guide the development of a corporate energy policy, establish priorities for implementation, and develop a timetable for achievement.
The announced relationship reflects the trend of large-scale restaurant organizations identifying and aggressively pursuing utility savings and environmental enhancements.
Energy represents Arby’s fourth largest controllable expense. Making changes through employee behavior and operational protocols represents an important first step to allow savings to be reinvested in capital expenditures.
The relationship between Arby’s and Ecova began in 2009 when Ecova began managing Arby’s utility expenses. This new initiative deepens the relationship to cover demand-side energy management and allows Ecova to draw extensive insight and data from the restaurant chain’s existing energy use gathered through the utility expense management work.
“Arby’s is undertaking a major initiative to make a real difference in our energy use,” says Dave Conklin, senior vice president of development at Arby’s. “After building one of the industry’s first LEED-certified buildings, this is the logical next step in advancing our programs. Having worked for the past few years with Ecova, we understand the company’s expertise in energy efficiency and the restaurant industry.”
Upon creation of the Strategic Energy Plan, Ecova will recommend energy and water conservation initiatives, along with the information needed to deploy and measure the solutions. Tools that will guide Arby’s energy and sustainability efforts will include:
- Operational and behavior modifications
- Lighting, HVAC and water heating systems, restaurant equipment and building shell recommendations
- Rebate and incentive opportunities
- Expected energy and water savings, carbon reduction, and financial return
- Equipment procurement strategies
- Demand response opportunities
- Energy management technology options
“Accurate, reliable energy data is paramount for a successful energy management,” says Jeff Heggedahl, CEO of Ecova.
“Leveraging our knowledge of Arby’s utility data, Ecova brings insights from over three years of work to measure and track Arby’s performance. Our experience with strategic planning and energy management in the foodservice sector provides a solid foundation for this relationship. We’re excited to support Arby’s ambitious drive to become an industry leader in effective energy management.”
