Georgia Power assists Waffle House in implementing energy efficient Blue Frontier technology

“Keeping customers at the center of all we do” has been a longstanding pillar of Southern Company culture. In addition to providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to customers, this concept also entails collaborating with customers to implement emerging technologies and deliver customized energy solutions for greater affordability and sustainability.

As a result of that strong working relationship, Waffle House approached Georgia Power about the possibility of incorporating a groundbreaking new technology into their Waffle House of the Future Macon demonstration. Developed by Blue Frontier, an innovative clean tech company funded in part by Bill Gate’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the Blue Frontier solution facilitates reduced energy consumption and improved climate control.

Waffle House and Georgia Power are piloting this innovative new solution for the purpose of evaluating the energy savings outcomes.

Blue Frontier produces a packaged liquid desiccant Dedicated Outdoor Air System (LD-DOAS) that provides sustainability benefits by eliminating the use of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and reducing energy consumption. These units are designed to provide greater comfort through improved ventilation and humidity control and, because they have no condenser, they run very quietly.

Conventional air conditioning systems remove heat from indoor air by converting refrigerants from gas to liquid and back again, after which the cooled air is circulated by fans. Humidity is controlled by cooling the air until the water vapor condenses to liquid, after which it is drained.

Conventional AC systems are not optimally efficient because they cannot remove humidity independently of cooling. Blue Frontier’s technology separates humidity and temperature control by using a liquid salt solution developed with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Blue Frontier’s LD-DOAS units deliver pre-conditioned ventilation directly to existing rooftop HVAC units, and their energy storage component helps reduce energy consumption at peak times, such as when electricity grids are strained on hot days. 

Watch the Blue Frontier unit being installed at Waffle House.

Preliminary findings from the Macon demonstration are encouraging:

• Blue Frontier’s system has provided high moisture removal efficiency compared to conventional direct expansion (DX) HVAC units.
• The efficiency of the existing DX units has been significantly improved.

Waffle House is now looking to upgrade the original Blue Frontier unit to one with energy storage, providing for load shifting when needed.

“We are enthusiastic about Blue Frontier’s technology because it is a potential game changer with respect to our energy costs,” explained Waffle House Innovation Manager David Repp.

Added Repp, “We have enjoyed a close working relationship with Georgia Power for many years and wanted to enlist their participation as soon as we contemplated this project. We appreciate Georgia Power’s support of the demo installation of this state-of-the-art energy solution.”

“The implementation of Blue Frontier technology at Waffle House’s Macon demonstration is a great example how we work collaboratively with customers,” remarked Georgia Power’s Manager of Solution Sales, Cameron Hardin.

“This project also exemplifies the kind of internal collaboration required to bring these sorts of innovative new solutions to fruition in the marketplace,” added Hardin. “Georgia Power Solution Sales and Energy Efficiency Pilots, as well as Southern Company National Accounts and New Ventures came together as One Team to make energy simple and support the Waffle House of the Future.”