Author Archives: Powerhouse Dynamics

This morning, a local Boston radio station broadcast a story about the projected 30-50{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} rise in electric prices this winter across New England. Because the price hike is due to structural issues including a lack of natural gas transmission capability (over 50{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} of electricity is generated by natural gas in New England), it is unlikely to be temporary, and […]

Partnership Deploys SiteSage™ System in Pilot Energy Management Initiative at Select Convenience Stores in New England   Boston, Mass., October 3, 2014 – Powerhouse Dynamics announced today that Global Partners LP is participating in a pilot program to evaluate the SiteSage enterprise energy and asset management system at a select number of Alltown and Mr. Mike’s […]

We love our customers. So when one of them accomplishes something truly impressive, we can’t help but crow about it a bit. When Arby’s announced recently that they’d reduced their energy intensity by 7.6% across the company in the past year, on their way to a planned 15% reduction, we were thrilled to have been a part […]

We love our customers. So when one of them accomplishes something truly impressive, we can’t help but crow about it a bit. When Arby’s announced recently that they’d reduced their energy intensity by 7.6{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} across the company in the past year, on their way to a planned 15{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} reduction, we were thrilled to have been a part […]

Energy efficiency is often overlooked in debates over energy production and use. We often hear about renewable technologies like solar and wind, and there’s lots of talk about reducing carbon emissions by switching from coal-generated power to natural gas. If you are concerned about climate change, these are all important steps in reducing the carbon […]

Companies now have access to more data about their business operations than ever before. The problem some face is how to better manage and analyze the data collected. For many businesses without the bandwidth or ability to utilize that data, it can feel like being trapped in a virtual library without reading glasses. Data management […]

There is a clear trend toward sustainability in the restaurant industry. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Culinary Forecast, the top 10 trends in 2014 are all related to either environmental issues or nutrition and health. In fact, the third most important trend is environmental sustainability itself. Consumers are now more aware than ever of where their […]

High energy bills are a problem faced by convenience store chains across the country – with 24 hour operations requiring constant lighting, heating/cooling, and refrigeration, energy costs can feel out of control in these small facilities. We talk a lot about energy use here at Powerhouse Dynamics, but even for us, the statistics on convenience store energy […]

Every manager of a small box retailer, quick service restaurant or convenience store is concerned with costs. Margins are particularly slim in the restaurant business, typically 3-9{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} of total revenue. This is partly due to hefty electricity and gas use across the industry. Restaurants, on average, incur 250{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} to 350{9e9e99e0aa33304967f3b3f95b41a9c8b857afbbbf6b3eae28bf86859e197ae9} higher utility costs than other commercial […]