This Brooklyn bagel shop is saving money with plug-in batteries

In the back of Black Seed Bagels in northern Brooklyn is a giant catering kitchen filled with industrial-size condiments and freezers full of dough. A tall, silver electric oven, named the Baconator, stands in a far corner, cooking thousands of pounds of meat every week to accompany Black Seed’s hand-rolled, wood-fired bagels.

The Baconator is connected to a battery the size of a carry-on suitcase, which is plugged into the wall. While the morning rush is underway, the 2.8-kilowatt-hour battery can directly power the commercial oven to reduce the company’s reliance on the electric grid, Noah Bernamoff, Black Seed’s co-owner, explained recently at the company’s Bushwick shop. Two more batteries are paired with energy-intensive refrigerators in the front.

Businesses like Black Seed often pay hefty demand charges on their utility bills that reflect the maximum amount of power they use during a month — costs that can represent as much as half their total bill, on average. By shifting to battery power during key times, Black Seed aims to lower its peak grid needs and reduce monthly fees from the utility Con Edison in the process.

Black Seed is part of a battery pilot program run by David Energy, a New York–based retail energy provider. The startup supplied the batteries for free last August and, using its software platform, controls exactly when the three appliances draw on backup power. Vivek Bhagwat, David Energy’s head of engineering, said he expects that tapping batteries for the refrigerators — which are always humming — will be especially helpful during the hottest months, when the shop’s air conditioners run around the clock.