How to Reduce Energy in Commercial Kitchens

Commercial kitchens are notorious for using high amounts of energy. A recent study found that between 45% and 70% of electric energy is needlessly wasted in a commercial kitchen. 

Reducing commercial energy use is key to saving money for any small business. It’s also crucial to meeting climate goals, which becoming an increasingly urgent priority. 

In this guide, we’re going to explore how businesses can reduce their commercial energy use, cut overheads and gain the edge over their competitors. Exploring everything from the most energy-efficient commercial kitchen equipment to tips for energy consumption is essential reading to future-proof your business.

How to Improve Energy Efficiency in a Commercial Kitchen:

The first step to improving energy efficiency in commercial kitchens is taking a full audit of consumption. Much like when taking a business water audit, you need to establish exactly where and how much energy is being used.

This can be done by installing individual meters in each area- from prep stations to refrigerator supply rooms. You can also then further target specific equipment to assess commercial energy use. 

Steps to Improve Commercial Kitchen Energy Efficiency:

Maintain all equipment regularly:

After assessing how much energy your equipment is consuming, you’ll most likely find that increasing and adjusting your maintenance routine can reduce it. Equipment that hasn’t been properly cleaned or has damaged parts will need to work harder and use more energy. Keeping equipment clean and well-functioning is key. Optimising the location of your appliances can also help- for example, putting your refrigerator in the coldest part of the kitchen. 

Consider energy-efficient appliances for commercial kitchens:

Sometimes no amount of maintenance is enough. Switching to energy-efficient commercial kitchen appliances can boost energy saving and improve cashflow. Investing in efficiency cooking equipment can have a huge impact. For example, star commercial kitchen equipment is much more energy efficiency and can contribute heavily to saving energy. This is equipment that is certified, proven to offer enhanced performance and reduced energy use. Switching to energy star commercial kitchen equipment is a great move for future-proofing your commercial kitchen and business.

Look at menu choices:

Some items on your menu will require cooking methods that use more energy than others. As well as considering how to best cook certain meals to save energy, changing the meals on your menu will save you energy and most likely money too! 

Reduce heat consumption: 

Look at how much heat you are using and consider whether this could be lowered whilst still meeting high food and hygiene standards. Inserting trip doors is also a good idea because it allows you to separate hold and cold areas. 

Switch business energy suppliers

On top of reducing energy consumption, you should also switch your commercial energy supplier. This could save your business hundreds of pounds per year. These energy saving measures can help free up cash to be invested in other areas of your business.

Reduce water consumption: 

As well as energy saving, it’s important to bear in mind that the most energy-efficient commercial kitchen equipment is often that which uses the least water possible. Purchasing a connectionless steamer, for example, reduces water use by 38 gallons per hour. 

Optimise your lighting:

Be sure to use energy-saving bulbs or natural lighting where possible. This will save a surprising amount of energy. 

Switch appliances off:

This point goes without saying, but it’s easy to forget! Switching off all your appliances after a day’s work or over a holiday is crucial to conserving commercial energy. 

How to save money on energy in a commercial kitchen: 

Whilst you can improve energy consumption, sometimes you will still be overcharged for your energy bills. In this case, it’s best to switch providers. 

We partner with small businesses and restaurants to allow them to get the best deal on their commercial kitchen energy.

To find out whether you could be saving money in your commercial kitchen, use our business energy comparison service. 

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