CHALLENGE
The McDonald’s corporation has ambitious sustainability goals, but for local franchisees operating on a thin margin, going green must have a bottom-line focus as well. Colley Group, a large franchisee, wanted to improve energy efficiency in its two McDonald’s locations and reduce operational costs.
SOLUTION
The JouleSmart solution included a turnkey retrofit that involved no out-of-pocket costs or risk for the franchisee. The new intelligent building solution for the McDonald’s locations includes: a building management system with centralized control, lighting retrofits, variable frequency drives for heating and cooling, smart thermostats, and fault detection for mechanical equipment.
RESULTS
Within the first 18 months, the two restaurants cut electricity costs by 23 percent, maximum peak energy demand by 10 percent and the volume of natural gas used by 20 percent. Together, these reductions saved the Colley Group more than $80,000. The new lighting system also reduces long-term maintenance costs.
“Energy is the third most expensive item in our P&L.Over the 3 years since the retrofit, the site has experienced $80,000 in energy savings. This is a big deal in a narrow margin business like ours.”