Hawaiʻi Energy Offers Incentives for Restaurants, Commercial Kitchens

Hawaiʻi Energy provides free, low-flow, pre-rinse spray nozzles (a $60 value) for businesses and organizations with commercial kitchens. Courtesy photo.

By Maui Now Staff

Hawaiʻi Energy has introduced new cash incentives for restaurants and organizations with commercial kitchens (schools, hospitals and hotels) in an effort to reduce high energy usage by offsetting the cost of installing energy-efficient equipment.

Hawaiʻi Energy is a ratepayer-funded energy conservation and efficiency program serving Hawaiʻi Island, Lānaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi and Oʻahu. It offers more than a dozen new incentives for ENERGY STAR ovens, refrigerators, freezers, steam cookers, fryers, hot food holding cabinets and electric griddles.

On average, 14 percent of the energy used by full-service restaurants comes from cooking and 23 percent comes from refrigeration.

Incentive range between $100 and $325 for commercial ice machines and between $500 and $2,400 for combination ovens. Amounts will vary based on the type, size and design specifications of each unit.

The program will continue to offer incentives for ENERGY STAR refrigerator trade-ins, kitchen exhaust hood demand ventilations and refrigerated night covers.

“There’s huge energy savings potential for restaurants considering most are open day and night–some 24/7,” said Larry Newman, director of business programs at Hawaiʻi Energy. “We strongly encourage all electric ratepayers to take advantage of these new incentives and others that are completely free such as our spray nozzle and lighting offers for small businesses and restaurants.”

Hawaiʻi Energy also provides free, low-flow, pre-rinse spray nozzles (a $60 value) for businesses and organizations with commercial kitchens. Using less water saves money, since energy is required to pump, transport and treat water.

Qualifying businesses must be electric utility ratepayers and heat water with heat pumps or electric water heaters.

The nozzles are designed to spray water to remove excess food on dishes prior to cleaning in a dishwasher. They are easily interchangeable and do not require professional installation (available while supplies last).

The nozzles have a flow rate of just 1.28 gallons per minute compared to 2.25 GPMs with traditional valves. Full-service restaurants typically use the nozzles four hours per day, which translates to saving 233 gallons of water daily–85,045 gallons annually. The energy savings translates to 1,553 kilowatt hours or $3941 annually for restaurants with heat pumps. Restaurants with electric water heaters can save approximately 4,753 kWh or $1,2071 annually.

Additionally, Hawaiʻi Energy continues to offer its Small Business Direct Install Lighting program that provides free lighting, consultation and installation. About 18 percent of a restaurant’s overall energy usage comes from lighting.

In order to qualify, businesses must have an individual meter and be on an electric rate schedule G, or occupy a space of less than 5,000 square feet. Restaurants on any electric rate schedule and of any size can qualify since they are a historically underserved business segment.

Participants are required to work with a Hawaiʻi Energy-approved lighting contractor for an assessment, approval and lighting installation.

For more information about Hawaiʻi Energy’s kitchen equipment incentives, free low-flow pre-rinse spray nozzles or SBDIL program, call 839-8880 on Oʻahu or toll-free on the Neighbor Islands at (877) 231-8222.

For more information about the restaurant program, go online.

For more information about the Small Business Direct Install Lighting program, go online.

For more information about Hawaii Energy programs, go online.