Restaurant Energy Efficiency Tips

Restaurants are one of the most competitive and difficult businesses to operate and manage. A constant challenge for restaurateurs is finding new ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality, service, style, or comfort. Fortunately, one simple solution is to make your restaurant more energy efficient. There are numerous ways to achieve this. You may know some already and have taken action. Others may be new ideas for you to research. In any event, we will try to cover a wide range of restaurant energy efficiency upgrades you can make for your business, including food service equipment; heating, cooling, and ventilation; lighting; and refrigeration solutions.

Energy Efficiency Food Service Equipment

Replacing conventional equipment to more energy efficient equipment such as commercial fryers, steam cookers, refrigerators, freezers, etc., can save up to 30% on annual energy costs. Not to mention, they are more productive through advanced designs that help reduce downtime and standby losses in the kitchen. Other simple tips, such as turning off unused equipment, checking oven and steamer seals, and keeping your equipment clean, help keep your equipment running as efficiently as possible to reduce energy costs.

Dishwashers

Always run full loads. Your dishwasher doesn’t know if it is full or not, and will consume the same amount of energy whether you run a full load or a single dish. Check your dishwasher’s pressure gauge and its PSI rating. Most dishwashers require a rating of 20 PSI. If your PSI is 25 or higher, you may be using too much water.

Pre-Rinse Spray Valves

Installing pre-rinse spray valves is the easiest upgrade you can make to your kitchen. Each spray valve, on average, can save restaurants $300-350 annually, and they do not compromise cleaning power. Work with Mass Save or any energy services company, like Prism Energy Services, to have these installed at no cost.

Mass Save, the energy efficiency program for major utilities in Massachusetts, offers rebates and incentives on many ENERGY STAR certified food service equipment. Make sure to check out ENERGY STAR’s excellent equipment savings fact sheet.

Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation

Heating, cooling, and ventilation can account for 75% of a restaurant’s energy consumption. Fortunately, there are many ways to cut down on these costs.

HVAC

A considerable amount of heating and cooling is consumed through your HVAC system, which accounts for approximately 30% of your energy bill. Below is a simple list of measures to take to reduce HVAC consumption:

  • Install an economizer
  • Reduce load capacity
    • Install insulation
    • Install energy-efficient windows
    • Install window film
    • Install energy-efficient lighting systems
    • Upgrading to ENERGY STAR certified equipment
  • Perform proper HVAC maintenance
  • Educate your employees

To read more about each of these individual bullet points, please see our 2015 February article: 7 Easy Tips to Improve Your HVAC Efficiency.

Ventilation

Ventilation goes hand-in-hand during food preparation. Food preparation and ventilation combined account for approximately 29% of your energy bill. The following will examine measures to take to improve ventilation efficiency.

Exhaust Hood Design

Exhaust hood system designs are critical to emphasize restaurant energy efficiency and good airflow and air quality. An unbalanced or poorly designed systems will allow heat to escape throughout the kitchen, creating a hot, uncomfortable workspace that puts extra stress on the HVAC system. Not to mention, if your HVAC is running full blast throughout your restaurant, your guests may not enjoy their meal while sitting in an icebox. It is important, therefore, to specify the best exhaust hood design for your restaurant. There are generally three types of exhaust hoods:

  • Proximity-style (backshelf)
  • Wall-mounted canopy hood
  • Single-island canopy hood

Proximity-style exhaust hoods are the most efficient. Heavy duty appliances such as charbroilers and ranges, therefore, should be placed directly underneath these for maximum efficiency. Inexpensive side panels can be added to exhaust hoods to help channel smoke and heat into the vents.

Demand Control Ventilation System

Adding a demand control ventilation (DCV) system can reduce your system costs by 30-50%. Demand control ventilation adjusts the outside ventilation air based on your occupancy level. For example, ventilation levels can be reduced during hours when your restaurant is closed, or when there is low occupancy, generally before or after the breakfast/lunch/dinner rush. A DCV saves the most energy in the winter, as heating air in colder climates consumes more energy.

Variable-Speed Hood Controllers

Many kitchen hood fans are single-speed and left on all day, even during downtime. Variable-speed controllers use smoke and heat detectors to adjust the speed level of the exhaust fan. Installing these to your exhaust system will represent considerable savings. In most cases, you will see a return on investment in one or two years.

LED Lighting Systems

Upgrading from incandescent lighting to energy efficient fluorescent or LED lighting systems can save you up to 30% annually. Depending on your restaurant’s hours of use, however, LEDs can be cost prohibitive, and many restaurant owners do not feel it necessary to make the capital investment to upgrade. Yet, LEDs have an array of benefits besides more efficient lighting. LEDs offer diverse color patterns and narrow-streamed lighting. If your restaurant atmosphere demands a certain color profile—one which many restauranteurs achieve with metal halide or incandescent lighting for their yellow/orange glow—consider that LEDs can produce the same colors, as well as other diverse arrangements. LEDs also produce little to no heat, which helps reduce load demand on your HVAC system.

Other lighting improvement measures to consider:

  • Light-sensitive dimmers
  • Occupancy sensors
  • LED Exit Signs

LED exit sign upgrades are worth mentioning on their own. Exit signs run 24/7 and often need maintenance if equipped with incandescent or fluorescent lighting systems. LED exit signs, however, last 10+ years and only cost $4 annually in lighting expenses per fixture. Compare this with incandescents, which require replacement every 2.8 months and cost $28 per fixture annually.

Refrigeration

Refrigerators, freezers, and ice making machines run all the time. It is normal for refrigeration expenses to account for 15% of a restaurant’s total energy costs. Any improvement to a system that runs 24/7 is going to help considerably.

Evaporative fan controllers and high-efficiency motors for walk-in freezers/coolers

Evaporative fan controllers installed in a refrigeration unit can reduce that unit’s energy expense by up to 40%. Most refrigeration units have a motor that operates a fan 24/7. This is unnecessary. A fan that runs nonstop generates more heat, which contributes to two things: shorter product life and wasted energy to keep the refrigeration unit chilled. Evaporative fan controllers equipped with a high-efficiency motor solves this problem and has the added bonus of a payback period usually less than one year.

Here are some additional tips to help keep your refrigeration units running efficiently:

  • Check for equipment damage and repair when necessary
  • Clean refrigerator coils to improve efficiency
  • Upgrade to ENERGY STAR solid-door refrigerators/freezers
  • Turn off door heaters to save up to $75 annually
  • Equip night curtains to refrigerated display cases

Hand Dryers

Hand dryers are one of the newest hot concepts in energy efficiency for restaurants. Hand dryers have proven to be much more cost-effective than paper towels. One of our team members put together this very informative cost savings analysis for hand dryers vs paper towels. Compare estimated costs at $28,875 vs $1,545.60 vs. newer models at $168.00.
hand-dryer-vs-paper-towels

The Next Step

There are a large number of opportunities for restauranteurs to make energy saving and cost-cutting improvements to their facilities. Many system upgrades, including lighting, HVAC, and energy efficient equipment can save restaurant owners 30-50% annually. For more personalized recommendations and solutions on restaurant energy efficiency, talk with us and schedule a complimentary comprehensive energy evaluation.

Sources:

U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings

Green Restaurants: Energy Efficiency

Energy Right: Improving Energy Efficiency in Commercial Kitchens

ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants

National Grid: Managing Energy Costs in Restaurants

Food Service Warehouse

PG&E

Touchstone Energy: Evaporative Fan Controllers

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