Food preparation, hot water, lighting and heating and cooling represent a significant portion of energy use and costs in a typical restaurant. High-efficiency equipment can save on natural gas and/or electricity, however, investing in equipment upgrades and energy-efficiency measures may seem costly at first. Here's some good news for restaurant owners in N.Y.C. and Westchester County. Food establishments that are natural gas or electricity customers of Con Edison may be eligible to earn cash rebates and incentives to install energy-efficiency measures that can help reduce energy use, lower replacement and operating costs and reduce carbon footprint. Additional benefits include increased customer comfort, better lighting, repeat business, and increased employee productivity. If you are ready to transform your restaurant into a high-performance establishment, the Con Edison Green Team can help with rebates and incentives and technical expertise available through the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Energy Efficiency Program. These rebates and incentives help restaurants lower the capital investment required to implement energy-saving technologies. As a result, restaurants receive an attractive return on investment and short payback period due to savings on maintenance and energy costs. Lighting upgrades can be a quick fix to save energy use and costs while improving comfort for customers and working conditions for employees. The Equipment Rebate Program offers rebates for T8 or T5 lighting systems, LEDs, and motion sensors/controls. Rebates are also available for high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, boilers and furnaces. For the Heartland Brewing Co., upgrading to LEDs in four of their N.Y.C. restaurants provided an energy-efficient and maintenance-free lighting solution. The restaurant received $40,000 from the C&I program for the LED retrofit. With LEDs installed in the bar, dining areas and bathrooms, restaurant owner Richard Pietromonaco expects to save an estimated 313,765 kWh and $56,000 in electrical costs annually. "In addition to reducing our energy and maintenance needs, combining the lighting upgrades with the rebates from Con Edison results in a significant return on our investment," said Pietromonaco, owner of Heartland Brewing. Restaurants participating in the program also have access to Con Edison's Market Partners, a network of energy experts who can help identify and implement energy efficiency solutions. More than 600 pre-approved energy efficiency contractors, distributors and other energy professionals participate in the Con Edison C&I Market Partner network. The Con Edison Green Team has an energy efficiency program available for almost everyone. To learn which program is right for you, call the Green Team at 1-877-860-6118 or visit www.conEd.com/greenteam.