Solar-Heated Salsa at Taco Burrito King
Jun 16 - PRNewswire
Salvador Lamas isn't kidding when he brags about his restaurant chain's hot-as-the-sun salsa, thanks to the new solar energy system that provides hot water for his new state-of-the-art main kitchen.
The restaurant is the main kitchen and headquarters for this family-owned,
growing chain of five popular Mexican eateries. Lamas boasts that the new
kitchen is equipped with the most sophisticated and efficient kitchen equipment
he could find, so that salsa and other ingredients can be made there and then
distributed to the other restaurants.
"The cost of natural gas for our restaurants was extremely high because
of the large amounts of hot water we use," says Lamas, so deciding to use
solar energy to heat the water was an easy decision. "Because of the high
degree of cleanliness we insist on, we do hundreds of hot water washes a day. So
when we decided to build a new place, we looked for ways to reduce the energy
cost, and solar was the answer."
In addition to being an entrepreneur, Lamas is also an electrical engineer
whose background is in energy, and he understood how much energy he could save.
But he had to convince his partners, so he showed them that a nine-panel system
that delivered 500 gallons of 120 degree hot water a day could pay for itself in
less than five years.
Lamas explains that he gets a $5000 rebate from a special State of Illinois
renewable energy fund, a 10% federal tax credit, and a 95% depreciation
write-off. His return on investment is greater than 20% a year, tax-free. He
expects the system to save him $100,000 to $200,000 over its 30-year design
life. And from day one, the system will save almost 200,000,000 BTUs of energy
each year.
"We are conscious of the need to use renewable resources, like the sun
and the wind," says Lamas. "We are thinking long term -- we plan to be
in business here for a long time -- for the rest of my life, and then I hope my
kids can run the restaurants. If we don't have to use nonrenewable resources
like oil and gas, why waste them!"
Lamas says it would be good if more people would use renewables. "If
everybody does their little bit to keep the earth and the air clean, it adds
up."
Lamas reports that his state-of-the-art kitchen is performing very well in
the three weeks since it started operating. "Before, we were only able to
prepare 5 gallons of salsa at a time. Now thanks to the efficiency and design of
our new equipment, we can do 50 gallons for the same amount of money that it
used to cost us to prepare 5 gallons, which means I can serve the same high
quality food and keep the cost down for my customers."
The solar hot water system is also performing very well. "On our second
day, the solar storage tanks reached 170 degrees. Today the water is 128
degrees. I was showing my managers how the system operates, so I turned off the
gas backup water heater to show them that, even without the backup, we have
plenty of hot water. Solar is money in our pocket."
"Solar energy is renewable, pollution-free, doesn't cause global
warming, and it reduces our dependence on foreign energy," says Brandon
Leavitt, president of Solar Service Inc., the Niles company that installed the
system at Taco Burrito King. "The problem is that most people don't know
that solar is also affordable, reliable, maintenance free, and available. Solar
works great in Illinois, and we actually have a very good energy option to
traditional electricity, oil, and natural gas," says Leavitt. "The
ability of solar energy to create new jobs and businesses in Illinois is
potentially enormous."
STATE FUNDING IS AVAILABLE NOW
Thanks to a rebate and grant program from the Illinois Department of Commerce
and Economic Opportunity Bureau of Energy and Recycling, state funds are
available now to pay for as much as 50% of solar hot water installations for
homes, businesses, or nonprofit organizations. With this financial help, solar
systems are even more economical and affordable.
The other Taco Burrito King restaurants are located in Greektown, and at
Harlem & Montrose, Harlem & Higgins, and at Harlem & Belmont.
Solar Service Inc.
CONTACT: Sharon Stuertze of Solar Service Inc., +1-847-677-0950