Budderfly Helps Outlaw Enterprises' KFC and Taco Bell Franchises Offset Rising Supply Chain Costs With Energy-Efficiency-as-a-Service (EEaaS) Offering
Company Receives No-Cost Upgrades to Interior and Exterior Lighting, Refrigeration Controls and HVAC Units
SHELTON, Conn., June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Budderfly, the fastest-growing firm in the North American Energy-Efficiency-as-a-Service market, today announced Outlaw Enterprises, Inc. has selected its energy efficiency solutions to help reduce lighting costs and improve HVAC and refrigeration efficiency across 13 KFC, Taco Bell, and combination KFC/Taco Bell franchise restaurants located throughout South Carolina.
The organization was experiencing shrinking margins and profitability due to rising industry-related costs and sought to offset those increases by optimizing its lighting, cooling, and refrigeration equipment efficiency.
"The lighting and cooling equipment met our needs but it was not operating as efficiently as I wanted," said Ashley Page, Director of Operations, Outlaw Enterprises. "Replacing the equipment with newer technology all at once was not an option due to high costs." Page found his ideal solution in Budderfly's no-cost energy efficiency upgrades.
Working with Budderfly, Outlaw Enterprises, Inc. began a pilot program in May 2020 with four KFCs and one KFC/Taco Bell location. The program included:
- Converting all exterior, interior, and parking lot lighting to lower power LEDs
- Adding advanced walk-in refrigeration controls for improved visibility and efficiency
- Installing Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and react chips to improve HVAC operation
- Installing smart thermostats to better regulate temperatures
- Adding submetering IoT devices for advanced measurement and monitoring capabilities
Since the pilot program, Outlaw Enterprises has expanded its Budderfly relationship to include all remaining locations in the company's franchise, converting all restaurants to LED lighting and upgrading many HVAC units to match those enhancements in the pilot program. For the remaining HVAC units, Budderfly will be upgrading those at the end of their useful life with new high-efficiency units—at no additional cost.
"Other energy efficiency companies approached us in the past. They identified our energy problems and asked us to pay for all of the technology cost upfront—with no guarantees it would save us what they quoted. To have Budderfly assume all the upgrade costs, keep their quoted promises, and immediately show cost-saving results was a very refreshing change to what I've seen from others," added Page.
Outlaw Enterprises is located in Camden, South Carolina, and is part of YUM! Brand's franchise of Quick-Service Restaurants (QSRs). In 1964 Johnny Outlaw Sr. became a KFC franchisee with one restaurant in Camden located at his Greyhound Bus station and expanded the franchise over the years. Ashley is the son-in-law of current franchisee Johnny Outlaw, Jr.; and for the last 10 years, under Ashley's leadership, the franchise has grown through land acquisitions and two newly built restaurants. Today, Outlaw Enterprises Inc. operations include over a dozen KFC and Taco Bell locations.
"Many QSRs are struggling with rising costs due to increasing ingredient prices and supply chain issues," said Al Subbloie, CEO, Budderfly. "Budderfly's ability to assume all physical upgrade costs and recoup investments over time via a percentage of the monthly energy savings, allows our customers to instantly reduce operational costs helping to offset escalating prices in other areas."
Budderfly's EEaaS solution is also helping Outlaw Enterprises contribute to its parent company YUM! Brands' initiative of balancing business growth with environmental sustainability.
About Budderfly
Budderfly is disrupting the energy industry by leading the digital transformation of energy consumption conservation through its unique Budderfly EnergyCloud™ Energy-Efficiency-as-a-Service model. With no cost to its customers, Budderfly implements proprietary energy intelligence software, energy efficiency upgrades such as LED lights, HVAC replacements and upgrades, variable frequency drives, refrigeration controls, options for comprehensive maintenance, and much more, that span more than 20 savings categories.
Budderfly creates networks of patented IoT devices that meter and report on all elements of energy use. Together these optimize energy usage at the point of consumption within each facility across the enterprise. Budderfly's ongoing services and proactive maintenance ensure that a building's energy infrastructure never becomes outdated. The result is significant, immediate, and progressive energy expense savings, upgraded facilities, and a reduced carbon footprint for its client facilities. For more information visit www.budderfly.com or follow us on Twitter @BudderflyEnergy.
SOURCE Budderfly
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