Restaurant Remote Monitoring and Control System

A remote monitoring and control system (RMCS) was deployed in four restaurants in PG&E’s service territory. The technology was deployed to monitor each restaurant’s electric end-uses and provide smart controls to eliminate energy waste and maintain smooth operations. The units were deployed in two types of chain restaurants, a coffee and pastry café and a full-service lunch and dinner restaurant/bar. One of each type of restaurant was located in an inland climate near the Sierra foothills, while the other two were located in the milder San Francisco Bay Area climate. 

For each of the four restaurants two controls measures were installed: a remotely programmable thermostat with space temperature sensors distributed throughout the dining areas, and a defrost controller system that activated when needed rather than at pre-set intervals, greatly reducing the number of defrost cycles in the walk-in refrigeration room equipment.

A site-level NMEC approach was implemented to determine the savings realized from new control strategies implemented through the RMCS.