monaire blog - Monaire Blog #HVAC monitoringmonaire blog - Monaire Blog #HVAC monitoringhttps://blog.monaire.ai/blogs/tag/hvac-monitoringSat, 28 Mar 2026 15:58:14 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Bombay Bazaar prevents $20k in food waste with Monaire]]>https://blog.monaire.ai/blogs/post/bombay-bazaar-prevents-20k-in-food-waste-with-monaireMonaire's monitoring and service helped Bombay Bazaar identify and fix issues with their refrigeration systems early - thus preventing food waste and saving money.]]>





“For the first time in 15+ years, I dont have to worry about my refrigeration and HVAC equipment anymore!”


Ramesh Chabbra, Owner of Bombay Bazaar

Bombay Bazaar is a grocery store located in Madison, Wisconsin. For the past 15+ years Bombay Bazaar has been providing quality groceries from all over India and South East Asia to Madison residents.

Despite signing up for Preventative Maintenance contracts (PM) with various mechanical contractors over the years, Bombay Bazaar was constantly dealing with an endless list of repairs for their refrigeration system. Issues that were fixed seemed to crop up again within days - an endless cycle that resulted in expensive repair bills and downtime.
Bombay Bazaar felt beholden to the contractor and often wondered if the repairs that were being suggested were accurate or necessary. Bombay Bazaar could never trust any of their contractors due to past experiences where the contractors’ suggested repairs often didn’t address the root problem. For e.g. one of Bombay Bazaar’s walk-in freezers had icing issues that weren’t resolved despite multiple repair attempts.

Bombay Bazaar signed up with Monaire with the goal of solving their refrigeration issues, reducing downtime and saving energy. Within days of signing up, Monaire’s AI algorithms and vetted technicians identified the root cause of the icing issue that had been plaguing Bombay Bazaar for months. With no intervention from Bombay Bazaar, Monaire technicians replaced the drain pan and installed a new drain pipe heater with zero downtime to the business. Bombay Bazaar has not had icing issues ever since.

Monaire’s sensors and AI-powered fault detection algorithms constantly monitor Bombay Bazaar’s HVAC and refrigeration equipment. Monaire detects issues early and dispatches technicians to fix them. Technicians arrive with prepared with insights on the issue and ways to resolve it quickly and efficiently.

With Monaire, Bombay Bazaar’s employees have been able to focus on serving their customers and haven't had to worry about coordinating HVAC/Refrigeration repairs.





"Monaire correctly fixed the icing issues I had been facing with my walk-in cooler. They earned my trust within weeks! ”


Ramesh Chabbra, Owner

In the past, what happened during preventative maintenance visits were a mystery. Contractors wouldn’t provide a summary of issues they found nor would they share information on what was inspected. 

With Monaire’s comprehensive preventative maintenance visits, technicians perform a 100-point inspection on every HVAC and Refrigeration unit. After the visit, Monaire provides Bombay Bazaar with a report of what was inspected, what issues were found along with a clear recommendation on what should be fixed immediately and what can be deferred - eliminating guess work and maximizing return on repairs investment.

Monaire’s preventative maintenance visits coupled with AI-powered fault technology has has helped Bombay Bazaar to prevent emergency repairs, reduce repair costs by 35% and avoid downtime.

During a recent PM visit, Monaire technicians identified and replaced clogged drains leading out from the Walk-in-cooler, thus preventing potential breakdown, emergency repairs and downtime.

Since signing up with Monaire, Bombay Bazaar has not had to deal with any emergency repairs.
Monaire’s AI-powered algorithms continuously check for in-efficiencies that might lead to higher energy use. Every hour hundreds of sensor data points are analyzed and compared against ideal operating parameters. If any deviances are detected, Monaire’s algorithms immediately tried to rectify the problem by making changes to the system (e.g. adjust thermostat setpoints, schedules etc.) or by sending a technician to fix the issue that was reducing efficiency (e.g. low refrigerant charge).

Within days of installation, Monaire’s algorithms baselined Bombay Bazaar’s systems and compared it against optimal operating parameters. Then, Monaire’s algorithms quickly tweaked thermostat settings and Monaire’s technicians fixed efficiency issues to bring Bombay Bazaar’s systems back to ideal operating efficiencies. Thanks to Monaire’s constant optimizations Bombay Bazaar has seen a reduction in utility bills. 

download case study as a PDF
see how your restaurant can save money with Monaire
]]>Sun, 29 Jan 2023 12:28:25 -0500<![CDATA[High utility bills are here to stay - how can you respond? ]]>https://blog.monaire.ai/blogs/post/lower-utility-billsElectricity bills and Natural gas prices have increased significantly in the last year and are expected to rise even further in 2023. Learn how you can respond and reduce your bills, lower operating costs and increase profit margins.]]>

In 2022, electricity bills for US businesses jumped the most since 1981, gaining 15.8% from the year prior. Over the same period, natural gas prices have more than doubled. The war in the Ukraine combined with an increase in economic activity after the pandemic led to fuel shortages which in turn increased utility prices.

Higher utility prices are placing an additional burden on businesses operating expenses and a respite from these higher prices aren't expected anytime soon. To make things worse, the federal government expects the price of electricity to continue to rise well into 2023.


Higher utility prices can have a significant impact on businesses. Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores for example heavily depend on  electricity and gas to operate. Higher utility prices can affect these businesses by:


Increasing operating costs: Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores that see an increase in their utility bills will have to pay more to keep their lights on, refrigerate their products, and keep their customers comfortable, which can eat into their profit margins.


Decreasing profit: Higher utility bills can make it harder for restaurants and grocery/convenience stores to invest in new equipment or hire additional staff.


Reducing competitiveness: Competitors who may be using more energy efficient equipment or implementing efficient controls will have lower operating costs, allowing them to offer more competitive prices and attract more customers.


Making budgeting more difficult: Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores are used to planning their expenses based on previous bills, but with an increase in prices, it can be difficult to predict future utility bills and budget accordingly


How can businesses reduce their utility bills?

While higher prices are here to stay, there are many ways in which restaurants and grocery/convenience stores can save energy use and reduce their utility bills, including:

Energy efficiency upgrades: Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores can invest in energy-efficient equipment, such as new HVAC systems, new refrigeration systems, LED lighting etc., which can help reduce electricity and gas consumption and lower utility bills.

Temperature control:  Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores can use smart thermostats to control the temperature indoors and to setback temperatures at night when employees and/or customers are not present. 

Maintain equipment: Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores can make sure that heating and cooling systems are maintained properly, are running efficiently and are not over working.

Lighting: Restaurants and grocery/convenience stores can use natural light as much as possible and install motion sensors or timers to control lighting in areas that are not in use.

Employee education: Restaurants can educate their employees about energy-saving practices and encourage them to implement these practices in their daily routines.


All of the above energy savings strategies have existed for a long time, however very few businesses are actually taking advantage of these.  Implementing most of these strategies takes away precious time that could otherwise be utilized to serve customers and the business. Major upgrades need capital expenditure that could be hard to allocated given higher interest rates and other priorities. Ensuring equipment is maintained properly requires deep knowledge of the equipment at hand, knowledge thats beyond most business owners today.


Monaire can reduce utility bills by up to 30% with $0 capital expenditure


HVAC and refrigeration usually account for 70% or more of the energy consumed by restaurants and grocery/convenience stores. Monaire helps business owners run their HVAC and refrigeration equipment efficiently without failures, to reduce energy use by up to 30% and avoid downtime. Monaire works with your existing equipment and requires no upfront capital expenditure. Monaire delivers savings by -


Running equipment efficiently: Monaire uses state-of-the-art software diagnostics to pinpoint HVAC and refrigeration in-efficiencies such as low refrigerant charge, coil fouling etc. Then Monaire's team of vetted and approved technicians arrives to perform maintenance and repairs the same day, saving you money, time, and hassle. 


Reducing energy use: Monaire's software uses advanced control strategies to reduce energy use. 

    • Smart scheduling: Ensures that spaces are cooled/heated only when needed. Monaire also resets employee overrides, one less thing business owners need to worry about!
    • Weather forecast based optimization: Ensures that HVAC systems don't heat during summer and vice versa in winter.
    • Fan overrun: When humidity is relatively low, Monaire is able to deliver cooling by just running the fan in some cases.


Monaire is also able to help business owners identify federal, state and local incentives to upgrade their equipment. In many cases, Monaire customers have been able have their equipment upgraded for free via these incentive programs. 



learn how Monaire can lower your utility bills by 30%
]]>Sat, 28 Jan 2023 12:34:13 -0500<![CDATA[How does HVAC and Refrigeration monitoring save money for small businesses?]]>https://blog.monaire.ai/blogs/post/how-does-hvac-and-refrigeration-monitoring-save-money-for-small-businessesBy monitoring HVAC and refrigeration systems, small businesses can identify areas where they can improve energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.]]>
HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and refrigeration systems are business-critical infrastructure. They enable employees and customers to operate in a comfortable environment, ensure appropriate air quality levels, and keep food at temperatures safe for consumption. 
However, these systems also represent a major operating expense, as they use a significant amount of energy, cause significant downtime when they fail and are expensive to repair. 
Monaire uses advanced HVAC and refrigeration monitoring to help businesses save money, reduce energy and repair costs and avoid downtime. 


What is HVAC and refrigeration monitoring?


HVAC and refrigeration monitoring is the process of monitoring and analyzing the performance of HVAC and refrigeration systems in order to identify problems and optimize their operation. Monitoring involves collecting data from various sensors and devices that are installed on the system, and using this data to track the performance of the equipment, identify problems, and make adjustments as needed to keep the equipment running at peak efficiency.


There are a number of different types of sensors and devices that can be used in HVAC and refrigeration monitoring, including temperature sensors, humidity sensors, smart thermostats, air flow sensors, and energy meters. These sensors and devices continuously send data to a central monitoring system. Software algorithms running on these central monitoring systems analyze sensor data to detect problems with the equipment, optimize its operation, and improve energy efficiency.


Some examples of algorithms that may be used in HVAC and refrigeration monitoring software include:

  1. Machine learning algorithms: These algorithms can be used to analyze patterns in the data collected from HVAC systems and identify trends that may indicate a problem with the equipment.

  2. Control algorithms: These algorithms can be used to adjust the operation of the HVAC system in real-time in order to optimize energy usage and maintain a comfortable environment.

  3. Fault detection algorithms: These algorithms can be used to detect problems with the equipment, such as a malfunctioning sensor or a failure in the system.

  4. Energy consumption optimization algorithms: These algorithms can be used to analyze the energy usage of the HVAC system and identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and save money.


Overall, the specific algorithms used in HVAC monitoring software will depend on how much monitoring is desired, as well as the type and complexity of the HVAC system being monitored. 


Monaire's platform uses a combination of all 4 types of algorithms (machine learning, control, fault detection and energy optimization) to detect all types of potential problems and identify a wide range of energy usage reduction opportunities.


How does monitoring HVAC and refrigeration systems save money?


By monitoring these systems, small businesses can identify areas where they can improve energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.

There are a few specific ways in which HVAC and refrigeration monitoring can save money for small businesses:

  1. Keep businesses running and avoid downtime: By monitoring HVAC and refrigeration systems, small businesses can identify problems early and fix them before they become major issues. This can help avoid downtime.

  2. Optimizing energy usage: HVAC and refrigeration monitoring can help small businesses to optimize the energy usage of these systems. For example, by adjusting the temperature and humidity levels in a building or by implementing schedules, small businesses can reduce their energy costs while still maintaining a comfortable environment for their customers and employees.

  3. Reduce repair costs: By monitoring HVAC and refrigeration systems, small businesses can reduce the need for emergency repairs. This can help to reduce maintenance costs and improve the reliability of these systems.


Why aren't many small businesses monitoring their HVAC and refrigeration equipment?


Two reasons - 

  1. Monitoring equipment and software is expensive and beyond the reach of most small businesses today. 
  2. Taking action on alerts raised by monitoring algorithms, making adjustments to systems and coordinating technicians require dedicated facility managers and know-how.

How is Monaire's monitoring different? 

Monaire's HVAC and refrigeration platform has been designed specifically for small businesses. Monaire uses innovative wireless sensors and gateways to monitor HVAC and refrigeration equipment. Wireless sensors are cheaper to install and retrofit into existing systems. This allows Monaire to offer monitoring equipment to small businesses at a very low cost.
Monaire's software algorithms are hosted in the cloud and do not require any specialized equipment on-site.


Monaire is one of the first HVAC and refrigeration monitoring providers to combine monitoring sensors and algorithms with Monaire's technician services network. This allows Monaire to take action on problems identified by the monitoring algorithms without needing any intervention from the business owner or their employees.



learn more about Monaire's monitoring
]]>Wed, 04 Jan 2023 13:36:18 -0500<![CDATA[Caspian Grill restaurant saves over $25k with Monaire]]>https://blog.monaire.ai/blogs/post/caspian-grill-case-studyCaspian Grill saw significant energy savings via Monaire's AI-powered algorithms. After signing up with Monaire, Caspian Grill has also seen a 30% decrease in repair bills and has prevented food waste worth $1,000's.]]>


“Monaire has overwhelmingly delivered on their promise - reducing stress and saving me money.”


Emin Buzhunashvili, Owner of Caspian Grill Restaurant Group

Caspian Grill is a family-owned Mediterranean restaurant business located in Madison, Wisconsin. With 2 locations in Madison, Caspian Grill has earned a stellar reputation for serving great food in an inviting environment.


Caspian Grill signed up for Preventative Maintenance contracts (PM) with a local mechanical contractor to maintain their HVAC and refrigeration units (Walk-in coolers, freezers). Despite spending money on PM contracts, equipment failed often and the contractor charged emergency repair fees to fix broken down equipment.

In many cases, Caspian Grill found that HVAC and refrigeration equipment would fail days after the contractor performed PM services. Despite paying emergency repair fees, the contractor wouldn’t perform immediate repairs to fix failures. The contractor often took multiple visits to resolve the same issue, resulting in higher repair bills and even more downtime.

After years of struggling with unexpected downtime and high repair bills, Caspian Grill decided to sign with Monaire at their Gammon Road location. At $0 cost to Caspian Grill, Monaire installed sensors and smart thermostats to track the status of HVAC and refrigeration equipment at Caspian Grill. Monaire’s AI algorithms started analyzing sensor data and began looking for potential issues.
Within a few weeks, Monaire helped Caspian Grill save $1,000’s in food waste. Monaire’s sensors and AI algorithms, discovered an issue with the freezer’s thermostat.The thermostat was reporting 37oF despite the actual temperature being 45oF. After analyzing this issue

Monaire’s sensors caught the discrepancy and Monaire’s algorithms quickly identified that the unit’s thermostat needed to be replaced. Within hours, Monaire’s contractors replaced the thermostat and got the unit back to optimal operation - saving $1000’s in food waste. As an added bonus, Caspian Grill paid $0 in emergency repair fees, despite the issue being resolved almost immediately.




"Detecting my meat freeer’s issue and fixing it, happened within hours. Monaire’s software works and their service is impeccable.”


Irene Gelfand, Manager

In the past, what happened during preventative maintenance visits were a mystery. Contractors wouldn’t provide a summary of issues they found nor would they share information on what was inspected. Due the lack of transparency, Caspian Grill found it hard to trust their mechanical contractor and often questioned if the repairs the contractor was suggesting were appropriate. In many cases despite performing the repairs suggested by the contractor, Caspian Grill encountered equipment failures and downtime often within days of performing recommended repairs.


With Monaire’s preventative maintenance visits, technicians perform a 100-point inspection on every HVAC and Refrigeration unit. After the visit, Monaire provides Caspian Grill with a report of what was inspected, what issues were found along with a clear recommendation on what should be fixed immediately and what can be deferred - eliminating guess work and maximizing return on repairs investment.


In addition to scheduled preventative maintenance visits, Monaire’s sensors and AI-powered fault detection algorithms constantly monitor Caspian Grills HVAC and Refrigeration equipment. Monaire detects issues early and dispatches technicians to fix them. Technicians arrive with prepared with insights on the issue and ways to resolve it quickly and efficiently.


Monaire’s preventative maintenance visits coupled with AI-powered fault technology has has helped Caspian Grill to reduce repair costs by 30% and avoid downtime.

Monaire’s AI-powered algorithms continuously check for in-efficiencies that might lead to higher energy use. Every hour hundreds of sensor data points are analyzed and compared against ideal operating parameters. If any deviances are detected, Monaire’s algorithms immediately tried to rectify the problem by making changes to the system (e.g. adjust thermostat setpoints, schedules etc.) or by sending a technician to fix the issue that was reducing efficiency (e.g. low refrigerant charge).


Within minutes of installation, Monaire’s algorithms baselined Caspian Grill’s systems and compared it against optimal operating parameters. Then, Monaire’s algorithms quickly tweaked thermostat settings and Monaire’s technicians fixed efficiency issues to bring Caspian Grill’s systems back to ideal operating efficiencies. Thanks to Monaire’s constant optimizations Caspian Grill has seen a 12% reduction in utility bills.


After experiencing less stress and saving money at their first location, Caspian Grill has signed on with Monaire for their second location in Madison.

download case study as a PDF
see how your restaurant can save money with Monaire
]]>Wed, 04 Jan 2023 13:36:18 -0500