Sustainable Dining Operation: Cooking and Refrigeration Equipment
Green Dining Best Practices
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Dining facilities consume up to five times more energy per square foot than conventional commercial buildings. This translates into billions of dollars in electric utility bills each year for commercial food-service operators, much of which could be saved by using more energy efficient equipment, managing appliance start and stop times, and maintaining refrigeration units.
Here’s what leading companies are doing to reduce their environmental footprint:
- Reduce appliance “on” time through proper use, scheduling, and monitoring. Post operating hours on each appliance and instruct employees to turn off appliances when not in use. Operate non-critical appliances, like coffee pots, on timers instead of allowing them to draw energy overnight.
- Use energy efficient appliances. When replacing old or adding new kitchen appliances, purchase equipment that meets standards issued by EPA’s Energy Star Program for Commercial Food Service or the Center for Energy Efficiency Commercial Kitchens Initiative. Each program rates commercial dishwashers, fryers, hot-food holding cabinets, ice makers, steam cookers, and solid-door refrigerators and freezers. Besides saving electricity, certified dishwashers and steam cookers also conserve water.
- Focus on refrigeration. Refrigeration units can be particularly energy intensive because they’re always on. Consolidate or unplug underutilized cooling units. For open drink and food coolers, install curtains or sliding doors to keep in the cold. Keep refrigeration units well-maintained by regularly cleaning cooling coils, installing low-temperature compact fluorescent light bulbs, and choosing ozone-friendly refrigerants.
Posted: 31-Oct-2008; Updated: 22-Jun-2009
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