CINCINNATI — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Melink Corp.’s Intelli-Hood® Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) system with the 2015 Energy Star Emerging Technology Award. The Intelli-Hood system will be recognized at the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show in Anaheim, California, Feb. 19-21, 2015.

According to the company, this accomplishment marks another milestone for Intelli-Hood since pioneering DCKV technology in 1989. After overcoming regulatory obstacles and capturing the AHR Expo Innovation Awards Product of the Year in 2012, the company expects this latest award to further the market acceptance of DCKV and its aim to green the commercial kitchen. With over 10,000 systems installed and an estimated 650 million kWh/year saved, Melink said the Intelli-Hood contributes to the energy conservation goals of commercial food service operations.

Una Song, EPA’s Energy Star program manager, said, “We extend congratulations and applause to Melink Intelli-Hood for the Emerging Technology Award accomplishment. The Intelli-Hood System is a benchmark for DCKV technology that offers energy savings with financial value.”

Craig Davis, vice president of Intelli-Hood, commented on receiving the award, “Melink Corporation is fully committed to sustainability, and we are focused on the development of energy efficient products and services that support this commitment. Not only are we honored to be recognized by the EPA for our Intelli-Hood technology, we also applaud the EPA’s effort to bringing DCKV technology, such as Intelli-Hood, to the forefront of energy efficiency.”

Steve Melink, president of Melink Corp., said, “We are very grateful for this award. As the pioneer of automatic variable-speed controls for commercial kitchen hoods over 25 years ago, this further validates our vision and passion for innovation.”

DCKV provides control over the ventilation system by modulating the speed depending on cooking activity. Traditionally, commercial kitchen ventilation systems would operate at maximum designed speed/volume throughout the duration of the kitchen’s operating hours. In contrast, DCKV provides automatic, continuous control over fan speed in response to temperature or optical sensors that monitor cooking activity.

For more information about Melink, visit www.melinkcorp.com

For more information about Energy Star, visit www.energystar.gov.

Publication date: 2/16/2015

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