Boston, Mass., June 17, 2014 – Powerhouse Dynamics announced today that it has installed its Site Sage enterprise energy & asset management system at additional Au Bon Pain (ABP) cafés in the Boston, New York City and Washington DC metropolitan areas. This is an expansion of a project initiated last year in Rhode Island. SiteSage is designed specifically for multi-site operators of small commercial facilities, such as restaurant, convenience store, and specialty retail chains.
“Au Bon Pain’s vision is to reduce the impact that our operations have on the environment through sustainable practices” said Wade Winters, ABP’s Vice President of Supply Chain. “We seek products that are inherently more sustainable and partner with suppliers that are committed to sustainable practices and social responsibility. We are now looking to beef up our efforts to reduce energy use at our cafes.”
Au Bon Pain has been routinely recognized for its commitment to offering consumers healthy options. Health Magazine named Au Bon Pain one of five “healthiest” restaurants, while being ranked No. 10 in FastCasual.com’s “Top 100 Movers and Shakers.” In addition, Au Bon Pain has been honored for its dedication to sustainability practices, including by Duke University’s Students for Sustainable Living Program.
“We are excited to be included in ABP’s sustainability initiatives and to be working with a brand so closely associated with leading social responsibility and sustainability practices” said Powerhouse Dynamics CEO, Martin Flusberg. “We expect this expanded program to have a meaningful and lasting impact on energy use at Au Bon Pain cafés.”
SiteSage is an enterprise-level energy and asset management system that allows customers to centrally control HVAC and other electrical loads with a highly intuitive web interface and mobile apps. It remotely monitors equipment and leverages patented analytics to diagnose performance issues and identify energy savings opportunities. SiteSage makes it simple to benchmark energy usage and equipment performance across facilities, allowing multi-location companies to identify and share best practices. The system was designed specifically for smaller facilities, so, despite its sophistication, it features low cost, easy installation, simple operation, and minimum imposition on staff time. Au Bon Pain is one of the first companies to participate in Powerhouse Dynamics’ “Instant Payback” program, which wraps all hardware, installation and software pricing into a single monthly fee with no upfront payments.
About Au Bon Pain
Founded in 1978, Au Bon Pain (“the place of good bread”) has grown into an internationally recognized leader in the fast casual restaurant category. The chain’s signature items – fresh baked breads and pastries, sandwiches, salads, soups, and coffee – are served in welcoming café environments emphasizing quick service and hospitality. Au Bon Pain offers consumers a wide array of delicious, nutritional foods, and over the last three years has earned Health Magazine’s designation as one of America’s Top 5 Healthiest Restaurant Chains.
Au Bon Pain operates in six key trade channels including urban office buildings, hospitals, universities, transportation centers, museums and malls, with locations ranging from 300-square-foot satellites to 6,500-square-foot cafés with 100-plus seats. It currently operates in 318 locations in the U.S. and internationally. Additional information about Au Bon Pain, which is headquartered in Boston, may be found at www.aubonpain.com.
About Powerhouse Dynamics
Powerhouse Dynamics uses cloud-based controls and analytics to deliver enterprise-wide operational and energy efficiency solutions to portfolios of small commercial facilities, including restaurants, convenience stores, retailers, and others. The Powerhouse DynamicsSiteSage® platform reduces energy, maintenance, and repair expenses by centralizing control, analysis, and management of energy-consuming equipment.
Engineered specifically for smaller facilities, SiteSage features powerful functionality delivered via simple online and mobile interfaces. The system continuously enhances efficiencies by controlling major loads, monitoring power consumption, providing insight into the performance of individual pieces of equipment, and tracking gas and water usage. Patented analytics deliver actionable intelligence via diagnostics and alerts, and SiteSage’senterprise-wide benchmarking capabilities identify underperforming facilities and assets. To learn more about how Powerhouse Dynamics’ customers maximize energy and equipment maintenance savings with minimal staff effort, visit powerhousedynamics.com, or Twitter,LinkedIn, YouTube or Facebook.