For Chesapeake House, a family-owned seafood restaurant located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, being ahead of the curve has served the business well throughout its 40-year history. The restaurant first ignored location trends to become the founding restaurant on “Restaurant Row,” and today, the business is taking aggressive steps toward becoming energy efficient by installing innovative technology from Efficient Energy America, Inc. (E2America).
E2America’s intelligent HVAC control system allows Chesapeake House to reduce energy consumption and demand, and in the process, save more than $4,000 annually in electricity costs.
When Chesapeake House opened its doors in 1971, the owners made a decision to build away from the beach, where a majority of established restaurants were located. Today, Chesapeake House is one of the most well-known and successful restaurants located on what is known as “Restaurant Row” in Myrtle Beach.
Through the years, the restaurant has continually looked for ways to increase its profitability, while still providing customers with a memorable dining experience. As energy costs have continued to rise in recent years, Chesapeake House recognized that making positive, proactive changes to its energy usage could mean substantial savings.
Typically, HVAC systems account for a large portion – in many cases, more than 50 percent – of the total energy used by commercial buildings. Because E2America’s technology is automated, wireless, and retrofitted, Chesapeake House was able to quickly and easily install the system to work with its existing HVAC units, ranging in age from 1 to 20 years old.
E2America’s technology is the only system that takes into account 19 variables, including external weather data, internal and external humidity, solar heat load, and building occupancy to continually monitor, control, and optimize the operation of the building’s HVAC systems. Taking these factors into consideration allows the HVAC units to run more effectively without causing disruption, while also providing a more comfortable climate for Chesapeake House’s staff and customers.
“While energy efficiency is a top priority for many businesses today, we knew that simply adjusting the thermostat a few degrees wasn’t going to amount to substantial savings for us,” says Buddy Cribb, owner and general manager of Chesapeake House. “The E2America system has enabled us to significantly reduce our energy usage and costs, while providing our customers with an even more comfortable environment inside our restaurant. As other restaurants followed us off the beach years ago to establish Restaurant Row, I expect to see many other restaurants following to implement the E2America system.”
With savings of more than $350 per month in electricity costs, Chesapeake House will see a return on investment in fewer than 12 months. Additionally, E2America worked with Chesapeake House’s utility provider to ensure that the restaurant was able to take advantage of incentive programs offered to businesses that implement energy efficiency measures.
“More and more restaurants are realizing they need to be aggressive in their energy efficiency efforts, and our technology provides restaurants with an easy, affordable way to save money on their electricity costs,” says Dara O’Neill, E2America CEO. “Chesapeake House is an established tradition for Myrtle Beach restaurant-goers that has always taken a leadership role in how it conducts business, and we are pleased that our technology is providing them with the innovation to continue that role.”
