Lui Lui Restaurant

Much like with a car, a commercial refrigeration system wears down over time from heavy use. Routine maintenance needs to be done more often, bigger issues that require immediate resolution tend to emerge, and system operation becomes less efficient. For Eric Roberts and the Lui Lui restaurant in Nashua, NH, it feels like NRM’s solution has given their equipment a jolt of youth, and he’s definitely seen fewer problems overall.

A common occurrence in restaurants, in particular, is an employee turning off the evaporator fans while working in the walk-in cooler. The fans are loud, blowing cold air on you, and are generally an annoyance to those working near them. Unfortunately, the usual method for doing this is cutting power to the fans.

“Some employees were turning off the breakers when they’d do inventory,” Roberts said.

It wasn’t usually a problem if the employees remembered to turn the breakers back on after they’re finished, but one time, the fans stayed off overnight. The next day, he discovered all of his ice cream had softened and spoiled.

So his favorite feature of NRM’s solution is the timed system shutdown button. It’s a large, red button installed near the walk-in’s door that safely turns the fans off for 20 minutes at a time. It takes the human element out of the equation, which can be a lifesaver in an industry that requires workers to juggle a dozen different things at once.

He’s also noticed he’s had to make fewer on-site maintenance calls to his technician because the system is no longer operating at full capacity 24/7. These financial savings on top of the $1,600 yearly savings in electric costs from NRM’s efficiency upgrades have made a real impact on his business.

By year 5, Roberts will have over $8,000 in his pocket that otherwise would’ve gone to his utility bills.