The Challenge
The restaurant, a popular dining spot in Florida, has 2 dining rooms, one of which has large windows on three sides that absorb heat during the summer and lose heat during the winter. The restaurant’s 4 ovens and grandfathered exhaust hood generate heat that creates a nearly unbearable environment for the kitchen staff and contributes to the uncomfortably warm conditions for customer in the dining rooms.
The restaurant’s aging 15-ton HVAC/R system included 3 separate units. A roof mounted 5-ton unit for the front dining room, a 5-ton split unit for the kitchen and 5-ton split unit for the back dining room. Owner wanted to replace this inefficient system but the estimate price tag of more that $40,000, including hiring an engineer and construction needed to do the job held him back.
The Solution
Seeking an alternative, the owner turned to Demandside Energy Solutions Inc. Upon evaluating the restaurant’s existing system, the Demandside team concluded that it could be converted to a single hydronic system using Arctic Gator™. The 5-ton rooftop unit was taken offline entirely. The 2 remaining 5-ton units were integrated with the Arctic Gator™ System creating an energy efficient hydronic system.
The Results
The restaurant has now been able to provide year-round comfort for its staff and customer. The owner had this tie say, “We’ve had the system operating for 3 years. There was a lot of hit and miss back then. We discovered many things, but right off we were saving electricity. The restaurant has also used Arctic Gator™ to increase heating efficiency. We didn’t have heat until Arctic Gator™ came along and this isn’t costing me any more. Trying to keep customers happy and the staff comfortable in a restaurant can be a difficult process as the seasons change but our kitchen is much cooler now. He added, “It’s just been getting better and better.
Summary
- The original 15-ton, 3-compressor air-to-air system was transformed into a highly efficient 10-ton, 2-compressor hydronic system
- Temperatures are now maintained at a constant 72 degrees in both dining rooms and 78 degrees in the kitchen.
- Even though the owner was worried more about comfort rather than savings, the restaurant’s monthly electric bills have still been reduced by nearly 20%