Restaurant Energy Efficiency Guide

Every restaurateur wants efficiency. You want to be efficient in how you serve your customers. You want to be efficient in how you organise your tables. Most importantly, you want to be efficient in how you spend money.

Most restaurant owners would say that they spend too much on energy. Running a restaurant requires a lot of energy usage. Whether it’s storing ingredients, lighting your restaurant or cooking the food, restaurants can build up large energy bills easily.

This is why it is important to use your energy efficiently. You can’t save money by buying lesser quality ingredients or keeping your customers in the dark. However, you can often save hundreds of pounds a year by using energy more efficiently.

How do Restaurants Use Energy?

Restaurants tend to use their energy in similar patterns. Your restaurant may have different average uses of energy. Yet, it is always worth understanding how you use your energy.

Gas Use

• Cooking – 67%
• Water Heating – 18%
• Heating – 15%

Electricity Use

• Refrigeration – 43%
• Cooking – 14%
• Other – 14%
• Ventilation – 12%
• Cooling – 11%
• Lighting – 6%

These average statistics show how much energy usage is devoted to particular functions. They give a good idea of where most restaurants can make improvements in their energy efficiency.

How can I Improve Energy Efficiency?

Improving energy efficiency isn’t just good for the environment. It can also be good for your bank balance. Restaurants that use less energy can save on their bills. One of the most efficient ways to reduce energy usage is through equipment.

Hobs

Most kitchens prefer to use traditional gas burners. This is due to the perception that they are easier to control. However, they are energy inefficient. Newer technology, such as Induction Hobs, use 50% less energy than traditional burners do. They are also quick to heat up and cool down, meaning chefs lose nothing in preparation.

Refrigerators

Most restaurants waste a great deal of their energy on refrigeration. Almost 50% of the power use goes into refrigerators. However, it is easy to reduce their power usage. Locating your fridges in the coldest part of the restaurant can lower their consumption. Keeping them on all night is not always necessary, depending on what you store in them. Regularly checking the seals for damage or wear can save you money. A leaking fridge is wasting energy.

Water

Most restaurants can improve the energy efficiency of their water. You need water that is hot enough to clean your plates and pans. However, it is easy to waste money on heating water up. Insulating your hot water pipes can reduce heat loss, and save you money. Don’t tolerate a dripping tap. Every drop is a waste of potential efficiency.

How to conserve energy?

Improving restaurant energy efficiency is not just about equipment. It is also up to individuals. Fostering a practice of being energy conscious can save you money on your energy bills.

The easiest way to do this is by switching things off. This may seem obvious, but many restaurants have a culture of leaving all their energy using appliances running far more than is necessary.

Setting best practices for all staff to follow can address this. Determine the minimum time you need to have appliances running. Insist that staff turn off equipment outside of these times. Using energy-efficient tools, such as sensor-lighting can also assist in reducing waste.

Is it Time to Switch?

Sometimes, the best way to save money on your energy is to switch provider. While you can make savings in energy efficiency, your supplier might still be overcharging you.

Switching supplier doesn’t need to be difficult. At Love Energy Savings, we specialise in helping restaurants like yours find a better deal on their energy bills. We compare the market for you and help you choose the right deal for your needs.

To find out how much you could save on your restaurant’s energy bills, simply complete our quick online comparison calculator.

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