PG&E Helps San Luis Obispo Restaurateurs Keep Local Landmark Open with On-Bill Financing

By Belis Sly and Trish Donnelly

For over 30 years, The Spirit of San Luis restaurant has been a favorite of locals and visitors alike for its location as much as for its food. Nestled in the old terminal of the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, patrons come here to watch airplanes take off and land while enjoying elevated pub fare and cocktails.

However, owners Mike and Ellen Stanton realized they had a problem: the restaurant's HVAC and refrigeration systems were losing their cool - literally. The faltering air conditioning system wasn't keeping the restaurant comfortable for customers and employees, and the refrigeration issues could lead to spoiled inventory. The Stantons knew they needed to act quickly to get back to operational capacity, but since the restaurant had been shut down for most of the COVID-19 pandemic, paying out-of-pocket for such a significant equipment upgrade was not a practical option.

"The core of our business is locals. When it got hot, we couldn't cool down the building. It was not comfortable for our customers," said Mike Stanton.

While exploring his options, Mike discovered On-Bill Financing from PG&E, and he reached out about using the program for The Spirit of San Luis' HVAC and refrigeration upgrades. This 0% interest financing program would help the restaurant acquire new, energy-efficient equipment without any out-of-pocket costs, enabling the Stantons to invest their time and money into other parts of the business.

(Here more in this video about how PG&E's On-Bill Financing helped The Spirit of San Luis become more energy efficient.)

Once approved for On-Bill Financing, the Stantons worked with PG&E and Trade Pro Contractor CH Solutions to complete the HVAC and refrigeration upgrades. CH Solutions worked with the restaurant's schedule, completing the upgrades outside of business hours to ensure no interruption in service for their customers. The new, efficient HVAC and refrigeration systems will bring the comfortable atmosphere back to the Spirit of San Luis and an estimated $4,800/19,590 kWh in annual energy savings to the Stantons, growing the restaurant's bottom-line revenue. Bon appetit!

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