The National Restaurant Association (NRA) just concluded its 95th annual show at McCormick Place in Chicago. Over 63,000 people and 2,000 vendors/suppliers attended to meet colleagues, make new connections, and shape the future of the restaurant and food services industry. Powerhouse Dynamics was featured in the Conserve Solutions Center, where exhibitors offered attendees products and services to help […]
Among the energy efficiency strategies that are often suggested for reducing energy use in smaller commercial facilities are LED lighting, Variable Speed Drive compressors, Demand-Controlled Ventilation systems, and Energy Management Systems. These systems require an initial cash outlay – albeit one that is often offset by a utility rebate – so it is logical to conclude that energy […]
When it comes to restaurant equipment, there are a lot of choices. For any given kitchen task, there are multiple technologies and multiple vendors. Today, let’s examine dish cleaning. The big decision to be made here is on technology – chemical sanitization vs. thermal sanitization. In other words, do you pay for chemicals or pay […]
Powerhouse Dynamics’ CEO Martin Flusberg’s latest column in Energy Manager Today is about energy management for small box retail: Energy Management Systems (EMS’s) are ubiquitous in the big box retail environment, and even in medium box stores, but have been less so in small box retail (defined for our purposes as facilities under 10,000 sq. […]
This post will be a short one because this topic won’t take long to dissect: it’s about set backs, the temperatures we set thermostats to when comfort heating or cooling isn’t required, such as when stores are closed. Quite often I hear concerns from operators or even HVAC technicians regarding night set backs for thermostats. […]
Too hot. Too cold. Just right. Just like all consumers, Goldilocks expected that her preferences would be met. Luckily for the three bears, she didn’t have social media and rating websites like Yelp to broadcast the fact that her first two bowls weren’t to her liking! Today, consumers do have those powerful tools, and it’s […]
For most parts of the Unites States, the cold of winter is finally receding and the warmth of the summer is now on the horizon. As you assemble your spring cleaning list, don’t forget about the wide variety of equipment that should be on that list. Based on the thousands of pieces of individual equipment […]
In my role as sales leader, I travel quite a bit and meet with many customers and prospects who either have deployed or are thinking about deploying an Energy Management System (EMS) for their multi-site retail, restaurant or convenience store concept. Many of these companies have tried systems in the past that were either too […]
The Restaurant Facility Management Association (RFMA) held its 10th annual conference at the Texan Gaylord in Dallas this past week. From all indications it was a successful event for both attendees and exhibitors, with lots of buzz and fanfare over the 3 days. And for many of us from the Midwest and Northeast, having sunny 70 degree weather […]
Cross-posted from Energy Manager Today By Martin Flusberg, CEO, Powerhouse Dynamics The recent revelation that the data breach at Target originated with the theft of network credentials from one of their HVAC/R contractors has generated significant, and legitimate, attention to the issue of data security of Energy Management Systems (EMS). If you are a developer or […]
Preparation. Skill. Dedication. These are the requirements for those dedicated few: the VPs of Ops and Directors of Facilities responsible for keeping a nation-wide portfolio of sites comfortable, so that the cash registers keep ringing during brutally cold winters and long hot summers. Cue the trumpets: Welcome to the Polar Vortex Olympics. Of course cold […]
I’m sure we all recall the classic scene in the movie Jerry Maguire where the sports agent, Jerry (Tom Cruise) is on the phone with his client, football star Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.). Jerry is asking Rod what he can do for him as he’s negotiating a new contract and Rod has one request – SHOW […]
