Arby’s Wins DOE Contest …That Only One Other Restaurant Participated In

The Department of Energy really likes Arby’s, but not for its roast beef.

Apparently the restaurant chain has promised to reduce its energy usage, as shown by a DOE press release so fawning that it bordered on product placement. Arby’s has been officially recognized as a “leader” in the DOE’s Better Buildings Challenge program. The only other participating restaurant chain was CKE Restaurants, which operates Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.

Unfortunately, the program is unlikely to create meaningful carbon reductions. The United States already uses very little energy relative to the amount of wealth it creates, according to a study by Pew Research Center. Much larger emissions reduction schemes, such as the Clean Power Plan, would only avert only 0.019° Celsius of warming by the year 2100, an amount so small that it couldn’t be detected according to analysis by the libertarian Cato Institute using models created by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Arby’s energy efficiency work is proof that brands can set ambitious energy savings goal[s], even with historically energy-intensive buildings like restaurants, Arby’s is committed to developing innovative and successful models and approaches with restaurant owners interested in replicating gains in efficiency. ” said Dr. David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in a glowing review of Arby’s promise.

The Obama administration has been pursuing a 20 percent reduction in energy usage by commercial buildings since 2011 in addition to its other attempts to reduce energy demand through regulation. Restaurants are a particular target of this campaign because they use 5 to 10 times more energy per square foot than offices and retail spaces according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Various other companies have created plans to increase energy efficiency in response to DOE incentives, by doing things like virtualizing their data storage or switching to LED lighting schemes.

Arby’s energy plan includes lighting retrofits, HVAC upgrades, and various other efficiency measures both to save money, and to improve its marketing image. The restaurant chain has committed to reducing the amount of energy it uses by 20 percent over the next 10 years.

Follow Andrew on Twitter

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.