Asian dining chain Panda Express is rolling out GridPoint’s HVAC system across its 2500 outlets in the USA.

Virginia-based GridPoint, a cleantech company that decarbonises commercial buildings and accelerates the transition to sustainable energy, has expanded its partnership with the largest Asian dining concept in the USA.

With nearly 2500 locations and 50,000 employees, Panda Express will deploy GridPoint Intelligence to all US locations during the next 18 months to optimise energy consumption, reduce energy costs and ensure all restaurants remain at a comfortable temperature for its customers and staff throughout varied climate conditions year-round.

“We have sought to deliver data-driven insights, automated energy efficiency and immediate savings by monitoring and controlling energy consumption within our facilities in real time and are excited to partner with GridPoint to roll out their energy management system across our store portfolio,” said James Ku, chief development officer at Panda Restaurant Group. “Optimising our buildings in this manner frees up time and resources for our associates to continue prioritising our core mission, which is to deliver exceptional dining experiences for our guests.”

Panda Express’ deployment of GridPoint’s smart building technology platform to all US locations follows a 200-store pilot, which generated measurable energy cost savings and reduced CO₂ emissions. GridPoint Intelligence automates critical building functions and actively manages energy operations within each location and, with nearly 2500 locations across the USA, this automation positions Panda to optimise energy usages particularly during peak periods that will impact the comfort of its guests and employees.

“GridPoint was founded 20 years ago with a vision and mission to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future,” said Mark Danzenbaker, CEO at GridPoint. “We have long admired Panda Express’ commitment to continuous innovation and operational excellence. Panda’s selection to implement GridPoint across all its restaurants is even more meaningful because they centred this decision around what is best for their associates and guests. Maximising energy efficiency and decarbonisation in complex commercial buildings requires a technology-driven approach. We are especially proud to partner with Panda in addressing global energy goals one building, guest and associate at a time.”

For Panda Express, GridPoint Intelligence will control all in-store HVAC and lighting at all US locations and provide facility managers with insight into real-time operational and environmental performance, resulting in reportable emissions offset.

Offering a full suite of asset monitoring, testing, reporting and control capabilities across a company’s entire energy profile and carbon footprint, GridPoint Intelligence leverages data analytics, algorithms and intelligent automation to provide visibility into complex building operations, optimise energy consumption and cost, automate decarbonisation, and improve resiliency. GridPoint Intelligence has been deployed in over 20,000 commercial buildings across multiple industries in North America.

GridPoint’s smart building technology platform connects energy grids with distributed energy resources, providing the ability to synchronise energy demand and supply behind-the-meter to optimise energy consumption and help achieve sustainability goals for businesses and utilities.

Networked together, buildings with GridPoint Intelligence can aggregate the reliable and instantaneous capacity that energy grids increasingly require. The GridPoint (www.gridpoint.com) Intelligent Energy Network of buildings is driving grid modernisation and accelerating the transition to sustainable energy.

Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express (pandaexpress.com) is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken and Honey Walnut Shrimp.