case study
KFC-Taco Bell Restaurant Earns LEED® Gold Certification
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM),
Louisville, Ky., the world’s largest
restaurant company and parent of
KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John
Silver’s and A&W All-American Food
Restaurants, is committed to corporate
social responsibility including its
environmental impact. Yum! constructed
the company’s first building under the
United States Green Building Council’s
LEED program, a KFC-Taco Bell
restaurant in Northampton, Mass.
New Green Technologies
From the start of the design process,
Yum Brands’ KFC Project Architect
Jonathan Balas, AIA, LEED AP aimed
to achieve LEED Gold Certification
for the new KFC-Taco Bell restaurant.
Balas wanted this restaurant to be a
testing lab to study the performance
of green technologies and approaches
to reduce Yum! Brands’ environmental
impact.
HVAC System to Reduce
Carbon Footprint
In addition to drawing on numerous
cutting-edge, energy-saving
technologies, including a solar wall for
preheating outdoor air, Balas asked his
engineering consultants to recommend
an HVAC system that would help
reduce the building’s carbon footprint
and contribute valuable LEED credits
in the areas of energy, atmosphere
and indoor environmental air quality
control.
VRF System Helps Earn
LEED Gold
Brian Austin, Schnackel Engineers,
Omaha, Neb., knew there was an
HVAC system that would deliver
all the environmental performance
demanded by the United States Green
Building Council’s LEED certification
system. Variable Refrigerant Flow
(VRF) zoning systems from Mitsubishi
Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions,
Suwanee, Ga., would help Balas earn
valuable points towards LEED Gold
Certification for his Northampton green
building “testing lab.”
Schnackel collaborated with Marty
Cusick, Yum! Brands’ HVAC expert
and national account manager for
Harshaw Trane, Louisville, Ky. Working
closely with Balas, Austin and Cusick
recommended the Hyper-Heating
(H2i®) INVERTER technology – an
exclusive from Mitsubishi Electric
and available in select VRF zoning
models. Knowing that winter days
and nights in Northampton often fall
into the single digits, they felt that
the innovative H2i heat pump system
would deliver exceptional 100 percent
heating capacity, even at five degrees
Fahrenheit outdoors. The H2i unit
would also bring unequaled comfort to
the customer side of the restaurant all
year long.
Project Name
KFC-Taco Bell
Northampton, Mass.
Project Location
December 2008
Completion Date
June 2009
The Team
HVAC Engineer
Schnackel Engineers,
Omaha, Neb.
HVAC Contractor
Sunshine Heating and
Air Conditioning, Inc.,
Schenectady, N.Y.
General Contractor
Boss Contractors,
Rindge, N.H.
HVAC Distributor
Harshaw Trane,
Louisville, Ky.
September 2010
case study
Sets Green Example for
Restaurant Business
“We’re thrilled that the Northampton
KFC-Taco Bell has been granted
LEED Gold certification,” said Balas.
“The certification fuels our passion
and commitment to researching green
building solutions and sets an example
of what is possible for the restaurant
industry. This building is our first step
in this important effort.”
Balas added, “The Mitsubishi Electric
system used in the project is very
effective because it requires less
ductwork, the small outdoor unit tucks
in easily on the rooftop, provides good
indoor air quality, is energy-efficient and
is extremely quiet.”
exclusively in fast food restaurants – for
the past 32 years. The Northampton unit
was his first experience with Mitsubishi
Electric VRF zoning systems. He
attended a Mitsubishi Electric training
class in Dallas. “A fantastic class,”
Nellis said. He likes the INVERTER
technology, believes the H2i is a great
unit, and calls Mitsubishi Electric “a
definite industry leader.”
A Definite Industry Leader
The Mitsubishi Electric VRF zoning outdoor units are so
compact and lightweight that rooftop installations are
no problem at all.
Scott Nellis, founder of Sunshine
Heating and Air Conditioning,
Schenectady, N.Y., has been installing
HVAC systems all over New England –
Mitsubishi Electric Equipment Installed
Mitsubishi Electric VRF systems helped this Massachusetts KFC-Taco Bell
restaurant earn LEED Gold certification.
(2) PUHY H2i Y-Series Outdoor Units
(1) PMFY Ceiling Cassette Indoor Unit
(4) PLFY Ceiling Cassette Indoor Units
(2) PDFY Ceiling-concealed Indoor Units
(1) PAR-21MAA Remote Controller