Going Green: A Beginner's Guide

Go Green: A Guide to Energy-Efficient Restaurant Equipment

Utility bills account for a significant portion of a restaurant's operating budget. Energy-wasting equipment and procedures can cut into your bottom line, preventing your business from reaching its profit potential. Here are some tips to boost your restaurant's energy efficiency, from choosing new energy-efficient restaurant equipment to simple changes you can implement immediately at no cost.

Choosing Energy-efficient Restaurant Equipment

When it comes to selecting new equipment for your restaurant kitchen, opt for cooking equipment with thermostatic controls. This type of control automatically fires burners on and off to maintain the operator's designated temperature, as opposed to manual or infinite controls that burn at a constant intensity. Thermostatic controls can save energy by using only the fuel or electricity required to keep equipment at the correct cooking temperature, so you can achieve consistent products between batches.

Electronic ignition is another energy-saving feature available on many types of gas equipment. These systems ignite gas with an electric spark generated at the press of a button without matches or lighters. Not only is this safer and more convenient than igniting a gas flame manually – it's practical to turn off the equipment when inactive and eliminates the need for a standing pilot light, which can cut gas use by 80 percent. Equipment with electronic ignition prompts users to turn off equipment when it isn't being used to cook.

Modern cooking equipment is designed to be much more energy efficient than past models, so your outdated equipment may waste more money than you realize. For example, efficient gas fryers can save more than $4,000 annually beyond traditional technologies.1 Look for ENERGY STAR-certified equipment when you shop, which has been tested by Environmental Protection Agency-certified laboratories to be significantly more efficient than similar equipment. Energy-efficient restaurant equipment benefits from advanced features such as electronic controls, which can prevent wide temperature fluctuations for quicker recovery times. In addition to helping you go green, electronic controls are easier for new restaurant staff to master when training.

Reducing Restaurant Water Consumption

Nearly every task in a restaurant kitchen involves water – from rinsing produce, to cooking food, to washing wares. Even a small reduction in water consumption can offer a big difference in utility costs. Here are some simple tips to save water without major changes:

  • Only run the dishmachine when full: A half-full machine uses the same amount of water and electricity as a full one, so plan your procedures accordingly and only run the unit when it contains a full load to avoid running it more frequently than necessary.
  • Verify the proper incoming water conditions for all equipment: Every piece of equipment is designed to operate best on the manufacturer-specified incoming water pressure and temperature. Using water at a higher pressure or temperature wastes resources and could cause unit performance deficits. Verify the incoming water conditions match what's specified in the manufacturer's user manual. Only let manufacturer-certified technicians install and service your equipment to ensure it's installed and maintained properly.
  • Invest in low-flow faucets: Low-flow faucets can lessen the amount of water used in your warewashing procedures without sacrificing the fixture's performance. Modern low-flow faucets use less water and clean just as efficiently as traditional equipment. An especially critical fixture is the pre-rinse unit, used to rinse dishes before washing and sanitizing. Establishments that switch to low-flow faucets can see savings of hundreds of dollars a month.2
  • Monitor for leaks: Even a tiny leak can add up to thousands of wasted gallons monthly. Most leaks involve a straightforward fix, such as tightening hardware or replacing a simple component. Make a habit of checking all incoming water connections periodically for leaks and fixing them as soon as they're detected.

Water-saving Kitchen Equipment

One major step towards saving money on your water bill and boosting your restaurant's energy efficiency is to update any equipment that uses water. Commercial dishwashers and commercial steamers tend to use the most water in the kitchen, and replacing old, inefficient equipment can really pay off over the life of the equipment.

ENERGY STAR-certified steamers potentially can save thousands of dollars in yearly operating costs versus standard equipment.3 That eventually can pay for the cost of the equipment if it replaces an inefficient unit. The same goes for commercial dishwashers. An ENERGY STAR-certified dishwasher requires as little as half the water as a conventional machine and can save nearly as much energy to heat that water.4

Commercial ice machines are another resource-intensive type of equipment that require lots of electricity for their refrigeration components, as well as a constant supply of water for making ice. Again, look for the blue ENERGY STAR logo when shopping for the most energy-efficient ice machine. Also, be sure to opt for air-cooled machines whenever possible. Water-cooled machines often require more than four times the water of air-cooled machines without a significant increase in ice production capacity under normal conditions, so they waste capital in kitchens that don't absolutely require them. The one exception to this rule is if your building is equipped with a cooling tower or other recirculating system that eliminates the need to draw from your water supply constantly.

Proper Equipment Use and Maintenance

Some kitchen equipment, such as refrigerators, cannot be turned off, but most cooking equipment can and should be shut down or put in an energy-saving state whenever possible to help your kitchen go green. Restaurant staff often habitually leave on burners when they're not used, so consider implementing a clear startup and shutdown schedule that specifies when cooking equipment should be fired up to avoid burning gas or using electricity needlessly.

Closely following your equipment manufacturers' suggested cleaning and maintenance schedules can extend the life of your equipment and keep it working reliably to maximize its energy efficiency. Whether it involves brushing the dust out of your freezer's condenser coils or scrubbing your gas range burner rings to keep them clear of grease clogs, keeping a clean machine prevents overworked equipment from wasting energy.

Resources

  1. ENERGY STAR Equipment Savings Fact Sheet. Accessed December 2015.
  2. Water Conservation in Your Kitchen. T&S Brass. Accessed August 2021.
  3. Energy Efficient Commercial Steam Cookers ENERGY STAR. Accessed February 2024.
  4. Commercial Dishwashers. ENERGY STAR. Accessed August 2023.