Looking for energy efficiency in your ice machine?

In the war to lower the bottom line of your restaurant or food service business, I’m sure you’ve considered how much you spend on your energy bill each month. It is because of this desire by owners to keep costs down and thereby improve profits that has made energy efficient ice making and refrigeration units some of the best sellers on the market today. In fact, many companies have begun separating out their top performers in energy efficiency into a special section of their store. They know that owners want these products and are making great attempts to showcase energy efficient ice makers, fridges and freezers. Today, we are going to try and answer one question about energy efficiency in ice making: who makes the best one for commercial use?
The Candidates
Most of the top brands make a self-contained energy efficient ice machine that produces around 80-100 pounds of ice per hour. This includes models by Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, Manitowoc and Hoshizaki. The price ranges of all of these models are all within about $500 retail of each other as well. This means we are going to be able to look at the two most important aspects of energy efficiency: performance and energy use. Let’s see how our big four stack up.
Performance and Energy Use
First, let’s talk performance. When it comes to ice production, Manitowoc and Ice-O-Matic take the cake. Their comparable models are at the top of the 100 pounds of ice per hour range we talked about earlier for the same price of similar units made by Hoshizaki or Scotsman. This means that you are getting about 10% more ice on average by going with an Ice-O-Matic or Manitowoc self-contained, energy efficient ice machine.
It’s clear that there are a couple models that stand out in performance, but is there a winner when it comes to energy use over time? The truth is that none of the units have a real edge in energy use over time. All energy efficient models ran about 8% more efficient on average than a traditional model. This means significant savings as opposed to a non-energy efficient unit, but between the four models no clear winner could be found on this front.
Little Extras
There are also some intangibles to consider when buying any piece of commercial kitchen equipment. These are things like warranty, company reputation and unique design. In energy efficient ice-machines for commercial use, there isn’t a lot of bells and whistles to be found. Two companies, however that stand out among the rest, are Manitowoc and Scotsman. Both have a good history of producing longer lasting units and provide exceptional customer service for their products.

What is the best kind of ice for your restaurant?

As any restaurant or hotel owner knows, ice is a big part of serving great beverages and keeping patrons happy. This means having the right type of ice to do the job. If you don’t have the right ice machine to suit your needs however, you will find that you waste time, energy and ultimately money. No one wants to crush cubed ice down so that it can be used to cool a bucket of beer and customers won’t appreciate it if the ice is so large that it doesn’t cool the beer in the first place. This is only one example of how using the wrong type of ice can impact your business.
So, which type of ice machine do you need? Perhaps the truth is that you need more than one. Understanding what each type of ice is best will tell you whether you need to change the type of ice machine you have or even add another type of ice to your arsenal.

Cubes are best for Drinks

If cold drinks are the primary reason you use ice, a cubed machine is going to offer the best option. Cubed ice melts the slowest and won’t water down a drink in a hurry. They also take up more room in the glass per piece which means that you need fewer cubes per glass. This makes it easier for a bartender or drink maker to prepare. Rather than working off methods like half full with ice, you can define how many actual cubes you need. This means a higher level of drink consistency.

Flakes keep things Coolest

If you are putting anything on ice from beverages to a salad bar, flakes offer the best base. Unlike cubes, flakes are smaller and easier to work through with cans or bottles. They also offer a better surface area on which to place bowls or platters. Flaked ice machines can also produce more ice because the require cooling time for a flake is less than a cube. If you have a cold food display or want to serve beverages out of a bucket, it makes sense to have a flaking ice machine on site.

Nuggets are a two way Street

The last type of ice machine you can buy is a nugget ice machine. Nuggets offer a best of both worlds scenario, but aren’t the best for either operation. Because nuggets are just smaller cubes they can be used for drinks and cold food tables alike. In fact, they are actually better for carbonated beverages than either flakes or cubes. These versatile ice chunks are great for businesses that offer both adult and child drink choices.
It’s clear that the type of ice machine you choose should be based on what you want to do with it. You may decide that you need a second ice machine to fulfill all the needs of your business. On the other hand, you may realize that you’ve simply been using the wrong type of ice. Whatever the case, using the right type of ice is going to have a positive impact on your business.
  
Other great articles on restaurant equipment such as this one can be found at the following link http://www.pricemykitchen.com

Ice Machine Cleanings

Learn about our ice machine cleanings on manufactures including but not limited to Manitowoc, Scotsman, Hoshizaki, Ice-O-Matic machines and other planned maintenance we perform throughout the state of Illinois at our website www.esiquality.com

Ice-O-Matic Ice Machine

Eichenauer Services has added Ice-O-Matic to the long list of Ice Machines that we are able to do warranty work on.  Some of the others that we can provide warranty service for are Manitowoc Ice, Hoshizaki, Scotsman among others.  Call us today for Service and/or Parts!  Follow this link to see other manufactures we service.