Are energy hogs robbing you blind? There’s only one way to hunt the scavengers down— conduct an audit of your facilities. Many utilities may be willing to do that for you. However, if you prefer to do the hunting yourself, the following are a few areas to review, according to the Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Food preparation accounts for 35 percent of energy usage.
• Do you have a start-up, shutdown schedule for kitchen equipment or is it on all the time? This is an easy one—if it’s not needed, shut it down.
• Are your range tops clean and in good repair and are pilot lights operating correctly?
• Are doors on ovens and steamers properly aligned and are gaskets in good repair so heat and steam do not escape?
HVAC accounts for 28 percentage of energy usage.
• Are thermostats programmed to provide comfortable ambient temperatures for guests and employees? The EPA suggests air conditioning settings of 76°F for occupied cooling and 85°F for unoccupied areas. For heating, the recommendation is 68°F and 55°F, respectively. Where feasible, turn thermostats off when your business is closed.
• When appliances are off, are the exhaust and make-up systems also off? Are your appliances placed completely under exhaust hoods? Are your exhaust hood grease filters clean and in good repair? If not, the cost could be far more than energy—it’s a fire hazard.
• Are patio space heaters and misters turned off when the area is unoccupied? Are rooftop exhaust fans clean? Are any belts loose or broken?
Sanitation accounts for 18 percent of energy usage.
• Are faucets in good order or are there leaks? Washers cost less than a dollar, but just one faucet that drips once per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year. Better yet, install a low-flow aerator and reduce water use by 80 percent. You’ll also save on the energy used to heat all of that water.
• Is your dish room equipped with low-flow, pre-rinse spray valves? If not, the cost is about $50 and you can expect savings of about $1,000 a year in water, sewer and energy costs if it’s used about three hours a day.
• After dish washing, your washrooms use the most significant amount of water. A running toilet can waste as much as 200 gallons per day—6,000 gallons in a month.
Lighting accounts for 13 percent of energy usage.
• Are you using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in the back of the house wherever possible? They last 10 times longer than incandescent and reduce energy use by 75 percent
• Are you using in dining areas dimmable LED lighting that provides the utmost in both light quality and energy efficiency? You’ll pay for the change in about a year, but the LED lamps will save more energy even than CFLs and last approximately 50,000 hours—five times longer than even a CFL.
• Are you using in storage rooms motion-sensor lighting that goes on when people enter and turns off when they leave?
Refrigeration accounts for 6 percent of energy usage.
• Are the doors properly aligned on reach-in coolers? Are gaskets in good shape and solidly connected to the doors? Are the doors closed when not in use? If not, you’re letting cold air escape. As the cooler works harder to maintain it set temperature you’re headed for a breakdown.
• The above measures are also applicable to walk-ins. Specific to walk-ins, do they have strip curtains and automatic door closers?
• Are condensers and evaporator coils dirty, trashy or frozen? You’ll be surprised at what you find back there and cleaning them will save money and increase the life of the coolers.
These are just a few areas to get you started. For more detailed information and a checklist to help you conduct your own energy audit, visit the Food Service Technology Center. For many of these areas, it’s all about cleaning and maintenance. You’d never expect your car to run at peak efficiency without an oil change and tune-up. The same is true in your foodservice operation.
And, like your car, it requires constant vigilance. The toilet that’s working fine today may be running constantly tomorrow. Refrigeration equipment that was top-of-the-line five years ago may develop problems and start using huge amounts of energy. Fortunately, there are options for managing this critical part of your operation.
Jay Fiske is v.p. of business development and marketing for Powerhouse Dynamics. For more information, go to Powerhouse Dynamics.