Jim Sether contacted me by phone to advise me of a rebate opportunity in which Honeywell and PG&E have partnered using the Melink Intelli-Hood system.  He informed me of the GreenVent Program and I have to say that I was skeptical. I then told him that I wanted to check this out and I would get back to him.  I called my engineer and checked online to confirm that, "Yes" it was an authorized program by PG&E.

Jim arrived at our Greystone Campus to survey our new Viking Kitchen. He brought paperwork and I gave him the decimation of the kitchen. The Melink Intelli-Hood system was installed in April 2010. In May, we received a check from Honeywell for $37,500 for a project that cost us $45,000.  This was a breath of fresh air for me and for the Culinary Institute of America. 

Jim Sether then surveyed the rest of Greystone Campus which included the 15,000 square foot main Teaching Kitchen and the Restaurant.  This project comprised of 10 hoods at a total cost of $110,000.  This would result in a rebate of $89,000.  This is one of those deals where you can't get your money out of your wallet fast enough!  The project was done over a period of two weeks making a very smooth start up for the summer classes.

The day we started the hoods in our Wine Spectators Greystone Restaurant, the Manager commented on how the Melink Intelli-system had improved the dining experience of our guests.  Originally when we started the Viking Kitchen, our chef instructors commented on how nice it is to talk and give cooking demonstrations to students without having to yell over the hood noise.

The best part is the energy we save.  Energy costs continue to rise, but with the new Melink Intelli-Hood systems in place, we have been able to reduce our energy consumption and increase student enrollment the new Viking Kitchen.

This program is a no brainer and very easy to use. It has been a pleasure working with Jim Sether as he has been an instrumental part of this project.

Thanks,

Greg Phipps
Director of Facilities
Culinary Institute of America

We are so pleased with the Melink Intelli-hood system we installed with your help through the Green Vent Program and PG&E. The paper work was made simple and the Melink Intelli-system had lived up to its promise. In the last four months, we have seen a 16.5% reduction in kilowatts used on our PG&E bill from the same period last year.  That is a substantial reduction in energy use and it translates to a substantial reduction in cost. This is one green system that really expenses. This is a green system that lives up to its promise and provides real savings from day one.

Based on our experience, we are recommending this system to other business owners we know. The GreenVent program is a proven winner. 

John Merritt
Vice President
Elaine Bell Catering Company

Exhaust Vent Management System Offers Serious Savings

As Executive Director I take my responsibility seriously to vet programs before presenting them to our restaurant members. I am well aware of the time pressures facing restaurant owners, managers and chefs, and never want to present a program that is not worth their time to actively pursue.  Every once in a while I find a product that almost seems too good to be true (most usually are). These products require additional work as I double my efforts to make sure I fully understand the product, and am not missing any important details before engaging the GGRA's credibility.
 
For medium to large restaurants the GreenVent program (including incredible rebate) is one of these hard-to-believe-it-is-so-good programs. So before presenting the opportunity to the entire membership we worked with several restaurants to install the system and measure the results. The results made us even more excited than we were originally investigating the system.
 
The system makes sense for any restaurant with more than one exhaust hood (especially in a prep area), any restaurant that serves dinner only, that preps in the daytime, and any restaurant that has a slower period between lunch and dinner. The system is quite simple, has been around for some time, and has improved because of recent technology upgrades. The system measures heat, smoke and particulate matter in the exhaust hood. During busy production the system keeps the exhaust fan on full power. When the heat and smoke are reduced during a slower production time the system slows down the exhaust fan. Savings are generated by less electricity to power the exhaust fan motor, as well as reducing the quantity of air that needs to be heated or cooled before being drawn into the exhaust hood.
 
The return on investment for the restaurants that have completed the installation is 6 months or less, and yields permanent savings. Installation is done after hours.

Preceding article courtesy of GGRA Executive Director, Kevin Westlye.  Reprinted with permission of GGRA