According to the Department of Energy, restaurants use approximately 2.5 times more energy per square foot than almost every other type of commercial building.

Even still, year after year, the restaurant industry continues to be one of the most profitable in the United states. This $709.2 billion dollar a year industry boasts more than 1 million establishments and more than 14 million employees across the country.

While there is no denying the size of the restaurant industry, what is even more clear is that this market continues to grow.

According to recent reports, the top four states for restaurant growth last year were Arizona, Florida, North Dakota and Texas. For restaurants owners in the Lone Star State and in several deregulated states across the country, owning a restaurant not only means managing an establishment but choosing an electricity plan for that business.

With over a dozen states across the country adopting some form of electricity deregulation, there are thousands of restaurant owners who are faced with the tough decision of choosing an energy plan for their establishment. While this means an added responsibility on top of the intricacies of everyday operations, it does bring the promise of lower, more affordable rates for many restaurants around the country.

The key to taking advantage of these types of savings is for restaurant owners to take the time to shop for plan available in their area. With electricity deregulation, businesses are no longer forced to simply use the electricity from their state appointed utility. Instead, they have the power to shop for electricity plans from area retail suppliers, each of which strives to offer the most competitive packages for commercial clients.

For many restaurant owners, the shopping process focuses on choosing the right plan, as opposed to the right company. Most restaurant owners will attempt to choose the lowest rates possible, in an effort to keep their overhead low.

However, there are some restaurant owners that may be more focused on choosing long-term or short term plans, or fixed rates that can help them keep their monthly budget in check.

In many states, restaurant owners who want to operate an eco-friendly business can also choose to have their company?s electricity come from renewable resources. Many of the deregulated markets have companies that are making big movements in the green energy sector, creating quality, sustainable electricity from wind, sun and water.

Ultimately, these options have made it slightly more complicated for restaurant owners to manage the utilities for these business owners. However, it has also made it possible for restaurant owners to more easily find the exact type of electricity that they need to keep their establishment running in the way that they want to.

In Texas and states around the country such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, the commercial energy market continues to thrive. As more and more restaurants continue to open up and thrive within these states, more establishments need to find the plans, options and amenities they need to keep their restaurant up and running and their monthly costs manageable.