Commercial Foodservice Program

Commercial food service (CFS)—restaurants, institutional kitchens, corporate campus cafes, and catering businesses—operate on thin margins. Although utility costs are up to 20% of overhead, and one of the top controllable costs, few CFS operations participate in energy and water efficiency programs. CFS is a large, underserved segment for utility efficiency programs and represents substantial net energy savings. Through PG&E’s commercial foodservice program, Frontier Energy provides direct services to CFS operators everywhere in the vast service area. Eligible restaurants can have a free comprehensive gas, electric, and water facility assessment. Frontier Energy’s expert team recommends changes in behavior, provides education about maintaining existing equipment, and provides a list of equipment that can be upgraded to save energy. The Frontier team also helps designers create a kitchen of the future that uses less energy and water. The demo center at our Foodservice Technology Center is an added benefit. PG&E customers can participate in hands-on workshops; test new technology equipment; and learn about sustainability practices that can reduce energy, water, and waste. Our team also helps designers and operators design new kitchens or remodel existing kitchens to cook excellent food with efficient appliances. Visit www.fishnick.com to learn more.

Frontier Energy:

• Performs on-site energy and water assessments of commercial foodservice kitchens, including restaurants, cafes, colleges/schools, hotels, corporate campuses, and other institutional facilities.
• Hosts educational seminars and webinars on a variety of foodservice efficiency topics ranging from lighting and ventilation to hot water system design and energy-efficient appliance specification.
• Hosts equipment demonstrations where restaurant operators can receive hands-on experience with new technologies before they commit to a purchase.
• Conducts design consultations with foodservice professionals, specifiers, and designers to optimize prospective commercial kitchen designs for energy efficiency.
• Conducts field studies of emerging technologies in restaurants and institutional kitchens to characterize their energy- and water-saving potential.
• Tests foodservice equipment to ASTM standards for rebate eligibility and measure development.
• Updates and provides expert support for PG&E’s commercial foodservice equipment rebate list.