It’s happening at McDonald’s, Burger King, Red Robin, IHOP, Chili’s, Starbucks and Applebee’s, just to name a few. Across the world, restaurants are undergoing major LED lighting retrofit projects to improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and save on power bills and maintenance costs.
Two of those companies reported on exactly how much money LEDs are saving them annually.
Red Robin, which replaced incandescent and halogen bulbs with LEDs in over 150 restaurants across the US, will save about $120,000 a year.
Brinker International, which is the parent company of Chili’s Restaurants and Maggiano’s Restaurants, switched 827 restaurants to LED lighting. Projected savings: $3.7 million a year!
If this trend in restaurant lighting continues, the implications can only be positive. According to Pacific Gas & Electric’s Food Service Technology Center, restaurants are the biggest energy users in the retail world. They currently use almost five times more energy per square foot than any other type of commercial building.
The National Restaurant Association created a website in 2008 offering tips for restaurant owners on conservation and eco-friendly practices. Check it out at www.conserve.restaurant.org.
A McDonald’s in Cary, NC has more in mind than making great hamburgers. In early 2009, the franchise in the Saltbox Village shopping center demolished its building in hopes of starting from the ground up to become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.