Creative Financing Pays for Itself with Intelli-Hood

Drastic Turn

2020 has been the most unique year to date, especially when it comes to the economy. Coming off 2019, the economy was strong, companies were reinvesting and spending money. The economy looked like 2020 would be another great year — until March. Enter COVID-19; companies that could endure the pandemic had to pivot fast. Predictions for a record year were gone in a moment. For months, businesses across the country shut down.

Like other businesses, Melink tried to come out the other side of COVID-19. Many felt more timid than ever about spending cash, and understandably so. Numerous projects put on hold as capital expenditure budgets froze for 2020, 2021, and even 2022 in some cases.

Melink’s company mission is to change the world one building at a time. We achieve this by implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions into commercial facilities for decision makers. Intelli-Hood is a Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) system that saves money by reducing monthly operating expenses in commercial kitchen facilities. Often, Intelli-Hood pays for itself in one to three years, making it an attractive energy conservation application.

 

Intelli-Hood Controls

The question arises: How do we change the world one building at a time with spending on an indefinite pause? 

 

Creative Financing Solution

I worked with a university that wanted to implement Intelli-Hood in a kitchen. Without any utility rebates taken into consideration, the $62,000 project would pay for itself in less than three years. Everything was moving smoothly until COVID-19 put everything on pause. But Melink’s committed to working with customers and customizing energy solutions. As a result, discussions were continued with the university. We were able to come up with a creative financing solution that’s win/win for all parties: an Equipment Loan Program. Thus, the customer paid nothing out of pocket, while simultaneously being cashflow-positive the second we walk off the job site. Working with a lender, we got the $62,000 financed for the university over five full years at monthly installments of $1,287. This was a total investment of $77,220.

The Savings Stack Up

At Melink, our proposals come turnkey, along with a custom Energy Savings Report. The reports give an idea of how much money you will save with Intelli-Hood. In this instance, the customer was going to save more than $18,000 in energy savings the first year alone, resulting in a positive cashflow of almost $3,000. On average, utility rates go up 3% every year, meaning that with the customer locked into an installment payment of $1,287 for 60 months, the positive cashflow will continue to increase year over year. After five years, the loan will be paid off in full and the benefits really kick in, saving more than $20,000 per year. Thus, creative financing creates more opportunities for customers to save on energy costs.

Looking at a 10-year period, the customer is going to save more than $130,000 without having to pay anything upfront. While a traditional purchase would save more money ($148,000) over the same 10-year period, it would require the full upfront cost paid in full.

 

 

Intelli-Hood Creative Financing Return on Investment
A graph comparing Intelli-Hood Investments against creative financing

 

So, if your business is in a similar position where your budget is paused but you are still interested in saving energy, reducing greenhouse gasses, and cutting operating costs – maybe this creative financing can work for you, too. We can continue to work together to change the world one building at a time, all while exploring realistic options in the current economic climate.

Intelli-Hood in the Indian Market

Melink’s Intelli-Hood® demand control kitchen ventilation (DCKV) system has long been a global product. But, more recently, we introduced Intelli-Hood in the Indian market.

 

 

Developing a New Market

We have officially been working in India for 2.5 years now, but it is still a fairly new and developing market for us. Introducing a company into an already mature market with similar products is very challenging. It takes attention, care, and a product that adds more value than its competitors’.

Before committing to the Indian market, we did our homework. We researched the competitors, key differentiators, competing products, and how we could best offer customer support. We put ourselves in our customers’ place to really understand their needs so that we could ensure we had a valuable product and support team that could help them meet their goals.

If we felt our customer service would be compromised by distance or communication barriers, we would not have entered this market. Melink Corporation prides itself on being a customer-focused service company. From the beginning, it was important to have someone on the ground in India to speak with customers, visit sites, and work with the home office in the United States. (That’s where I come in!)

Speaking of the home office, a critical component to entering the Indian market has been the support of the Intelli-Hood’s U.S. team. They have worked continuously with promptness to provide all the technical details that our customers need, which is the biggest boon to earn customers’ trust. I am really thankful for all the team members who supported the launch of Intelli-Hood within my region. Together, we are bringing an end-solution to save energy in our global environment.

 

 

Early Success in India

Because of all the behind-the-scenes work to enter the market, we have seen success.

One of our biggest Indian projects that has been successfully retrofitted with Melink’s Intelli-Hood system is a project in the operation kitchen of a large resort. The kitchen contains all kinds of cooking appliances to prepare food for different cuisines, like Indian, Chinese, Italian, etc. For almost a full year, we have continuously monitored the system from Day 1 of installation and commission. With these real-time result readings, we were able to prove the benefits of our product in regards to energy savings and return on investment, which has paved the way for the approval of many other projects.

Here are examples from this project. You can see the energy savings:

Main Kitchen – Fan Speed Profile
1/1/2019 to 12/31/2019
This kitchen includes five hoods and two exhaust fans. With Inteli-Hood, the customer gained an electrical savings of 1,17,496 kwH/year.

 

 

Intelli-Hood in Asian Market Case Study example 1

 

Secondary Kitchen – Fan Speed Profile
1/1/2019 to 12/31/2019
This smaller kitchen includes two hoods, one pizza oven, and one exhaust fans. With Intelli-Hood, the customer gained an electrical savings of 25,077 kwH/year.

 

 

Intelli-Hood in Asian Market Case Study example 2

Based on this information, we are working with the client to analyse more data to help them to be more energy efficient and to lower their operating costs.

 

 

What’s Next for Melink in the Indian Market?

Moving forward, we are working with our partners to customize Intelli-Hood system designs to meet their site requirements. We look forward to future projects in existing kitchens (retrofits) and also new projects spread across Asia.

If you have a project in India and would like to learn more about Intelli-Hood, please contact me. I live and work in India full-time, and I would welcome the chance to introduce you to Melink’s products. Email me at [email protected].

Becoming an Intelli-Hood Sales Engineer (During a Pandemic)

Sales Engineer. These are two words that most of us have a clear understanding of their respective meanings. But what about when they are put together? Well, I ‘m not sure what to expect either, but it sounded like a challenge, and I like those. I’m new to the Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) industry but well-versed in technology and mechanics due to my background. So, when I took the role of a Melink Intelli-Hood Sales Engineer, I felt well prepared.

Then, enter COVID-19.

Onboarding plan? Derailed. Customer visits? Cancelled. Installations with field service techs? Not attending. How was I supposed to embrace my role and be a valuable addition to the team?

 

 

What Next?

That’s where my Melink family stepped in. To continue with business “as normal,” we, like other companies, took advantage of virtual meetings, trainings, lunch-and-learns, and other digital tools. These tools were not thought about or utilized even just 10 years ago! As the pandemic unfolded, our work progressed, thanks to these digital tools. I immediately saw the value in my new role and Melink’s value to their customers.

For instance, indoor air quality became a topic of daily conversation. Essential facilities, like grocery stores and hospitals, were now on the front lines. I helped get Intelli-Hood® kitchen ventilation controls into these areas and ensured first responders had healthy air.

You see, Intelli-Hood learns to optimize your kitchen ventilation by using temperature probes paired with infrared optical sensors. The optics pick up on airborne contaminants in the form of smoke and then trigger the variable frequency drives. The exhaust fan’s variable frequency drive (VFD) adjust to the appropriate speed to ensure adequate evacuation of the effluent. Smoke being present does not have to mean that heat is, which is one more way that a Melink Intelli-Hood control system ensures continuous capture of all effluent. As if that was not beneficial enough, the system is also ensuring that more of the pre-conditioned air is staying in the occupied spaces instead of being wastefully exhausted from the kitchen due to continuous discharge ventilation.

 

 

Melink Intelli-Hood System

 

 

Looking to the Future: Customized Solutions

Pre-COVID-19 and now, I spend each day as a Sales Engineer building customized quotes for our customers’ unique needs. As requests for new construction sites roll in, I work with my Business Development Manager to go through the plans for each site, reviewing the kitchen designs and ventilation requirements, as well as requirements that have been called out by general contractors and food service consultants. Every job requires different exhaust hood types; fan types and horsepower; and temperature monitoring preferences, as well as the possibility of tying the system into a building’s BACnet. All of these items and more are taken into consideration when preparing an accurate, customized quote for our customers.

Thus, these last few months of working in Virtual Corporate America have helped me realize just how adaptable our team at Melink — and our Intelli-Hood controls — really are. COVID-19 or not, these control systems are improving the health and wellness of employees and customers in thousands of locations worldwide, all while being the most energy efficient DCKV system on the market. And the umbrella of Melink solutions extends to other areas, too. When you pair an Intelli-Hood control system with solar panels, a PositiV® unit to monitor building health, and a high-quality Test and Balance plan, you really cannot ask for a more efficient and energy-saving space.

I may only be finishing my first quarter here at Melink as a Sales Engineer, but already I have felt the satisfaction of knowing that what I am doing is making a difference.  We really are making the world a better, greener place, one building at a time.

Determining if DCKV is Right for You?

When a customer is first debating if Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) is right for their facility, there are multiple questions that come to mind. What is a good application for DCKV? What does it cost versus the lifetime payback? Does it actually slow fans down that much? What is the ability for service in the future?

All of these are valid questions. The most important thing is to partner with a company that works with your team to evaluate and determine what solution is best at the onset of reviewing the opportunity. In order to answer the above questions, the DCKV provider should be asking you the following at minimum:

 

  • What is the size of the hood(s) (Length X
    Width)?
  • What is the schedule of the exhaust fans, do
    they only run 8hrs/day, 12hrs, 24hrs?
  • What kind of equipment is underneath the hoods?
  • What are current utility rates for your area of
    the country?
  • Is there dedicated supply air to the kitchen
    space?

With this information the DCKV Manufacturer should be able
to provide some advice.

 

What is a good application?

Four primary factors play a role in this answer. They include: utility rates, total fan horsepower (Exhaust + Supply), exhaust fan run hours and your geographic location.

The total horsepower is self-explanatory. The greater the HP the larger available savings. However, lower horsepower may not disqualify an application. If there is a total of 5hp between exhaust and supply, operating longer than 12hrs/day, with moderate utility rates of at least $0.08/kWh, DCKV systems can be a feasible savings opportunity.

Fan operating hours additionally play a role based on the
savings, the longer the operations the greater savings. This type of savings
can be compounded depending on the geographic location as significant
conditioned air savings can be recognized.

 

What does it a system cost versus the lifetime payback?

The cost of a system will vary based on the complexity as
well as the selected technology. Two options are a temp only based system or
one that incorporates additional optic sensors. Although a temp only based
system may cost less, it is important to evaluate savings over the lifetime of
equipment compared to a system that incorporates optics.

Assume a 12-year life cycle of equipment. For the sake of this
discussion, we will evaluate the following scenario:

 

  • Single Hood (20ft long)                  –   24hr Fan
    Operation
  • 5hp Exhaust (5000cfm)                  –   $0.10kWh
  • 3hp Supply                                          –   $1.02therm

 

  Cost Avg. Run Speed Annual Savings Simple Payback Lifetime Savings (12yrs)
Temp – Only $7,000 80.5% $3,502 2.0 yrs $42,024
Optics Based System $16,000 58% $7,865 2.0 yrs $94,380

As seen above the lifetime savings of an optic based system is
greater than twice the amount of a temp-only based system. It is important for
a DCKV partner to offer a solution best for the customer’s needs, perhaps a
blended system would provide the largest amount of savings. For example,
perhaps on a larger kitchen, there is significant savings opportunities for one
or two of the hoods. However, another single hood has only a single pizza oven
underneath, this is when it is important to partner with a manufacturer who has
technologies that will maximize savings, such as auto-temp spans and
scalability of their system.

 

Does it actually slow fans down that much?

In the savings example above there is a significant
disparity between the average runs speeds of a Temp Only based system and that
of a system including optics. When reviewing and selecting a DCKV system, it is
important to have proven data of performance. Look for manufacturers that have
case studies for their technologies, and significant volumes of measurement and
verification. Every market sector is different regarding a 24hr average run
speed. As a buyer do not hesitate to ask for examples of performance for your
market being evaluated. You can also utilize third party publications such as
Demand Ventilation in Commercial Kitchens An Emerging Technology Case Study,
written by Fisher Nickel, Inc found here.

 

What is the ability for service this in the future?

One final important aspect to consider is what happens post installation. Commitment from a manufacturer to service over the lifetime of a system is very important. Does your DCKV partner go beyond the standard warranty? Certain manufacturers offer 24hr engineering technical service. Do they have a service network of technicians available to visit your site if needed? Another consideration is where would replacement parts be purchased from. Some manufacturers have components manufactured outside the United States which can delay delivery and in return create a headache for you to provide consistent service to your customers.

Another important focus on the future would be, what is the adaptability of the system? Everyone has seen a kitchen space eventually be remodeled and cooking equipment is swapped out for a new concept. Perhaps there is increased heat from this equipment change, so can the originally selected system adapt to this change? Certain manufacturers have temperature probes that area initially calibrated at startup based on initial equipment. On the other hand, Melink Corporation’s Intelli-Hood, offers an Auto-Temp span, that self-calibrates, and spans based on trends of continuous data points and monitoring therefore, an equipment change resulting in an increase or decrease in heat load will be recognized and self-adjusted for maximum savings.

 

How to decide what works for you.

In closing, there are many important variables to consider when selecting a product including DCKV. To some, upfront cost is a primary concern, and to many other end users the most important may be what happens over the life of the system. “Will the manufacturer provide me support?” and more importantly “How much will this save me over time?” Many of us are always saving for our retirement, perhaps now is the time to invest in the savings that are available within your kitchen. Personally, I would love to save double that over a lifetime of a system for a product with the same initial payback.

“We’ve Done Benchmarking. We’ve Done Lighting. What’s Next?!” Kitchen Ventilation.

The Benefits of DCKV

Kitchen ventilation, both exhaust and make up air, represent a significant opportunity for kWh and kBTU reductions in your facility. Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation, (DCKV) uses temperature and optic sensors to vary exhaust speed and make up air fans.  This is in response to precise cooking intensity underneath all kitchen hoods. With fans only running as needed, savings are gained on fan energy (controls produce 40-60% average fan speed versus 100% without controls). In addition, there are heating and cooling savings gained as a result of kitchens not evacuating all air that was just conditioned.

These controls can be installed in new construction projects. They’re usually specified by engineering firms in the design phase of your project, and should qualify for one LEED point. In addition, DCKV is a path to compliance for commercial buildings’ energy codes for states that have adopted ASHRAE 90.1 2010 and greater. You can see what your state’s requirements are here.

Retrofitting

Retrofitting the temperature and optic controls within existing kitchen exhaust hoods is equally effective at generating energy savings. It’s important to confirm that the controls are UL 710 and 2017 listed. This permits them to be installed in any manufacturer’s hood in any cooking application. There are many utility rebate incentive programs available for the installation of DCKV as well.

Kitchen Ventilation in Action

The financial impact for hospitals’ operating costs is significant when kitchen exhaust and makeup air fans no longer run at full speed 24/7.  A study by the EPA demonstrated that each dollar saved by a non-profit hospital, is the same as generating $20 in new revenues. Incidentally that same dollar saved in a for-profit facility is like increasing EPS by one penny.

Melink recently completed a Mid-West hospital project that produced $20,000 (per year) in combined savings. The savings included electrical, heating and cooling costs. Using EPA study metrics, this equivalates to $400,000 in new revenue for this facility.  Taking rebate incentives for our technology, the hospital’s ROI was less than one year.

The Purpose of DCKV

The goal of any DCKV project is to install controls that maximize the energy savings within the kitchen. In addition, DCKV will assist compliance with building energy codes, attain LEED points and make kitchens quieter and more comfortable. This article goes into greater detail and dives deeper into how these controls pay back initial investment. The articles recently appeared in the American Society for Healthcare Engineering publication, Inside ASHE.

Find the Inside ASHE article on kitchen ventilation here.

Higher Education Dining Trends Impact On Energy Usage

The dining experience at Colleges and Universities across the country has changed drastically over the last decade. Although it has been about ten years since I left, it feels like just yesterday I was on campus at the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University. During my tenure, the options were limited; you might find a handful of cafeterias across campus and a few popular fast food places like Wendy’s, Subway and Pizza Hut at the student union. Visiting campus now I can’t believe the changes; there are hundreds of options. The student unions have started to look more and more like casino food courts that include local options and big names. Students are seriously taking food offerings into account when considering a school, especially if they’re going to live on campus. Colleges are majorly using it to their advantage to recruit students and provide a better campus life. In 2008, NKU even constructed a new Student Union Building to compete with other local area colleges.

Over the last 7 years or so, I’ve toured dozens of higher education kitchens and the cooking operations are huge. West Point, for example, serves around 5,000 meals in a very short amount of time on any given day. All the Big 10 schools have between 7 and 10 dining halls on campus that are running for 3+ meals a day and serving a variety of options from soups and chili to baby-back ribs. With the large operations come large costs! Not just in the obvious costs including wages, salaries, and benefits, but in big time energy usage. Running the exhaust fans and the corresponding MUA units 16+ hours per day is a ton of wasted electricity. Additionally, the number of commercial exhaust hoods required to prepare the diverse food preparation means there is a ton of exhausted air and reconditioning of air required.

As schools continue to compete for higher enrollment rates and evolve with demand, they have to respond to the increased energy usage and operating expenses to ensure they can remain competitive with pricing. Many colleges and universities have tight operating budgets for their facilities, so it’s especially important to find low or no-cost ways to reduce energy expenditures. To combat these new challenges, Campus Energy Managers have started considering Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) systems to help save the electric energy being wasted on all the new fan motors and reconditioned air. These systems conserve energy, save money and make for a quieter and more comfortable cooking experience.  Energy Managers have also started engaging students and faculty in energy conservation to save on campus energy bills. At many higher education institutions, students are the biggest advocates for energy efficiency and will respond enthusiastically to educational initiatives and conservation pledge campaigns.

 

Could Intelli-Hood be a fit for my project?

Is energy usage a pain point in your campus kitchen? Are you curious how much energy Intelli-Hood could save you?  Submit an energy savings estimate request form at the bottom of our Intelli-Hood page to get started.

 

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Lodging’s Consumer Dining Trends and Your HVAC System

Since 2010, the hotel landscape has changed drastically due to the emergence of Millennials in the marketplace. The days of long-term consistency, home-away-from-home value, and a friendly face at check-in are things of the past, and we are now seeing the need for hotel hot spots that are personalized, efficient, connected and trendy. The transformation makes hotels get creative in filling revenue discrepancies created by the quickly changing landscape, focusing more than ever on operational costs.

The change in buying power

Prior to 2010, the “Baby-Boomers” generation dominated occupancy demands. When Boomers were the bulk of the lodging customer base, focus was on consistency, more value for the customer’s dollar, a big screen TV, consistent food and beverage offerings, and a friendly, personalized check-in experience. Today, Millennials are all about Individualism, efficiency, mobile connectivity, creative and trendy food and beverage offerings, and online check-in. Due to this demand shift, along with the cost to build and the ever-changing consumer marketplace, developers are becoming more focused on the development of limited brand hotels. As of June 2017, “Upscale” and “Upper Mid-Scale” represent roughly 65% of all new build hotels.

In response to the change in customer wants and needs, hotels have majorly changed their strategy. Hilton developed the Tru® brand in response to these changes to make it easier and less expensive for developers to build. Marriott is doing an over-haul of their Courtyard® brand to create a hybrid solution to please guests from both generations. Previously, if you’d go to a major brand hotel on the east coast or the west coast, you could get the same exact cheeseburger. Those days are over! Hotels must now bring in local food and beverage options to not only keep customers eating at the hotels, but to provide a truly exceptional experience every time. A satisfied customer is no longer enough in any market today. With social media and other technologies, there’s now a need to “wow” customers. A good dining experience isn’t enough, it needs to be one of the best dining experiences they’ve ever had!

What does this mean for revenue?
In a recent article published by Lodging Magazine, Food and Beverage (F&B) profit margins are up roughly 5% since 2010, yet food purchases only rose by a CAGR of 2.3%. The two sources that continue to decline for F&B are “In-Room Dining” and “Mini-Bar” sales, which is consistent with the new emphasis of providing a unique social experience in hotel lobbies. Considering the decline in food purchases and the ever-changing marketplace, it is hard to imagine lodging has seen a 5% increase in F&B profit margins.

So how do all these items tie together and make for increased profit margins? How have the hotel management companies been able to make all these changes in a short amount of time and still increase profits? How can profit margins be up when we all know an ever-changing menu would make it harder to negotiate prices at a high-volume? It’s not one simple answer but I’ve personally seen the major management companies stepping up their game and working smarter. Revenue increases can’t be the main driver for the success. The operational efficiencies are where the differences are made!

Changing energy consumption is key

Electrical consumption for the typical US hotel is 50% in HVAC and 23% in lighting. Within food service facilities, HVAC systems account for 29% of energy consumption. Up to 75% of this load can be attributed to the commercial kitchen ventilation system. At Melink, we’ve seen many owners in the last 2 to 3 years begin installing a Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) system in their kitchens to help lower operational costs and solve the ever-plaguing negative air pressure issues. With the help of these owners and major brands, we’ve also developed technologies to help solve this in the ever-growing Select Service markets. Many of these projects have been packaged with LED lighting to solve 73% of the problem (per the chart below). This allows the hotel owner to take advantage of the available utility incentives, increase profit margins in the changing F&B market, show an attractive ROI to the owner, help solve air pressure issues in common spaces, and increase overall guest comfort.

If there’s one thing that’s true in this industry, it’s that change is inevitable! Management companies, owners, brands, developers, and vendors have two options: change with the market or get left behind. I’m happy to report that most of the major players are making smart and energy-conscious decisions that are ultimately improving their bottom line and increasing guest loyalty and satisfaction.

Intelli-Hood South Korea Hospital Retrofit Case Study

CONTEXT

Faced with the industry challenge to reduce operating costs, Daegu Catholic Hospital in Daegu, South Korea sought after promising opportunities to reduce energy usage.

  • Total motor power: 170 HP
  • Daily operating hours: 17
  • Days per week: 7
  • Weeks per year: 52
  • Cost per kilowatt hour: $0.088

RESULTS

 

Energy savings graphic

Below are the before (navy) and after (green) reductions in kilowatt hours, heat load and exhaust volume:

Graph

 

Could Intelli-Hood be a fit for my project?

Are you curious how much energy Intelli-Hood could save within your commercial or industrial kitchens?  Submit an energy savings estimate request form at the bottom of our Intelli-Hood page to get started.

 

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Intelli-Hood Stadium Retrofit Case Study

CONTEXT

Faced with the industry challenge to reduce operating costs, Gillette
Stadium sought after promising opportunities to reduce energy usage.
Other stadiums in the country had selected Demand Control Kitchen
Ventilation (DCKV) for their kitchen hoods based on promising estimated
savings and available utility incentives. The Gillette Stadium team also
decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

  • Total motor power: 41 HP
  • Daily operating hours: 14
  • Days per week: 7
  • Weeks per year: 50
  • Cost per kilowatt hour: $0.10
  • Climate zone: Marine

RESULTS

Gillette Stadium selected Intelli-Hood® to be installed into the hoods in
the Club and Players kitchens. The team capitalized on utility rebate
incentives that expedited the payback projection by 1.5 years. After
operating for some time, the two kitchens were tested and proved to
have reduced exhaust fan speed dramatically. In the Players kitchen the
fan speed was reduced by 66 percent and in the Club kitchen the speed was
reduced by 55 percent. Combined, the average fan speed across both kitchens was 60 percent.

Energy savings graphic

Below is a sample graph of the varying exhaust fan speed for one day at the Club Kitchen:

Gillete savings graphic

 

Could Intelli-Hood be a fit for my project?

Are you curious how much energy Intelli-Hood could save within your commercial or industrial kitchens?  Submit an energy savings estimate request form at the bottom of our Intelli-Hood page to get started.

 

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Melink Launches Financing for Intelli-Hood® Kitchen Ventilation Controls

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CINCINNATI – Dec 30, 2016 – Melink Corporation is offering an innovative new program, Melink Finance, to help provide financial options for customers seeking to implement energy-saving projects without large up-front capital commitments. The goal of the program is to allow customers to purchase Melink’s Intelli-Hood® kitchen ventilation controls and use energy savings to pay for the equipment cost on a monthly basis. 

The Melink Finance program can be tailored to meet customers’ cash flow needs based on their particular individual situations. For instance, there are deferred payment options and seasonal payment structures to match the customer’s revenue stream if the company’s existing budget is depleted. The program seeks to shift the cost of energy saving projects from large capital expenditure allocations to the operating expense side of the ledger. This shift will allow customers to have more flexibility in project timing and capture available utility incentives before they expire. 

“Our mission is to save as much energy as possible for our customers, and this program allows us to remove financial barriers in support of our customers energy savings goals,” said Randy Miles, vice president and general manager of Intelli-Hood. “This allows them to take advantage of operational cost savings on day one and provide an immediate ROI. Essentially, we can create a net positive cash flow transaction on the first day by having the energy savings exceed the monthly payment for the controls. This will allow our customers to achieve their profitability and sustainability goals while preserving capital expense.”

For more information on Melink Finance, please contact
Luci Feie at 513-965-7300 or [email protected]

About Melink Intelli-Hood

Melink Corporation is the pioneer in demand control kitchen ventilation controls, having  launched Intelli-Hood in 1990. Melink’s patented Intelli­-Hood HVAC controls package visually monitors the level of cooking activity and automatically instructs the exhaust fan to operate only as fast as necessary. Intelli­-Hood is installed into new or existing commercial hood systems and transforms a
basic stainless steel box into an intelligent energy­-saving machine.
Melink has installed Intelli-Hood controls on more than 30,000 kitchen hoods around the world. Additional information and resources may be found at www.intellihood.comIntelli-Hood is one of four business offerings from Melink, a global provider of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for the commercial building industry. The others are HVAC Testing & Balancing, Solar PV Development and Geothermal HVAC. For 30 years, the Cincinnati-based company has been helping organizations save energy, increase profits and make the world a more sustainable place. Melink’s corporate headquarters is LEED Platinum andNet-Zero Energy, and its vehicle fleet consists of all hybrid and electric
cars. To learn more about Melink Corporation, visit 
Melinkcorp.com or call 513.592.3391.