Challenge

BEAR Coffee operates venues across the UK, each with distinct consumption profiles but no centralised visibility into how energy use relates to operating hours, weather conditions, or equipment performance. The business needed a clear understanding of where electricity was being consumed unnecessarily across the chain and how to address it through operational improvements without capital expenditure or disruption to daily service.

Solution

Fewton analysed electricity consumption across BEAR locations to identify chain-wide efficiency opportunities and site-specific areas for improvement.

The approach includes:

• Analysis of monthly electricity consumption data across all venues, benchmarked against industry standards for restaurant operations.

• Correlation analysis between electricity consumption and weather conditions to assess HVAC responsiveness across the chain.

• Equipment-level consumption breakdown to quantify the contribution of kitchen, ventilation, lighting, and baseload to overall demand.

• Identification of excessive nighttime consumption at multiple locations, indicating equipment operating outside business hours beyond essential loads such as refrigeration.

• Site-level performance comparison to identify outliers and prioritise venues for targeted operational improvements.

• Delivery of initial recommendations covering HVAC scheduling, shutdown procedures, kitchen equipment management, and lighting controls.

Results

Up to 14% electricity savings identified across the chain, with Fewton actively managing the implementation of recommendations as an ongoing process.

Key inefficiencies identified:

• Kitchen and bar equipment accounts for approximately 40% of total electricity consumption across the chain, with standby loads and equipment operating during non-operational hours contributing to elevated demand.

• HVAC systems show weak or no correlation with external temperature conditions at most locations, indicating continuous operation with limited seasonal or weather-based adjustment.

• Nighttime consumption reaches approximately 24% of total electricity use at several venues, significantly exceeding the typical benchmark for this type of operation and suggesting equipment remains operational outside business hours.

• Lighting operates throughout the day at multiple locations including during daylight hours, with no evidence of zoning or daylight-based switching.

• Electricity intensity varies significantly across the chain, with two locations consuming nearly double the rate of the best-performing venue, highlighting scope for standardising operational practices.

Fewton is working with the BEAR team to translate these findings into operational improvements through structured shutdown procedures, HVAC scheduling optimisation, and equipment management practices across all venues.