Commerical Kitchen Energy conservation tips

Running a restaurant means working off a bottom line. This is the amount of money you will spend to run your business. Earning more that this bottom line is the key to success. One of the ways to increase your chances of doing this is by getting that line as low as possible. The easiest way to lower your bottom line is by cutting down on the cost of production. Here are a few tips that will keep your bottom line lower and profits higher.
Tip 1: Monitor Air Flow

Though you can’t see it, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning costs are likely about a quarter of your daily overhead. By monitoring these systems to ensure they aren’t working overtime for no reason, you can cut over a thousand dollars from the energy bill of almost any restaurant.
Tip 2: Shut off Idle Equipment
When you aren’t using an appliance, shut it off. Making and sticking to a schedule for these machines will help you manage this process and provide staff with clear direction on when to turn off the big energy eaters. The result is a longer life for your equipment and lower energy costs once again.
Tip 3: Space out Cold and Hot Equipment
One of the easiest ways to organize a commercial kitchen for efficiency is to have the cold and hot equipment separated. If you have a freezer and fridge system, ensure they aren’t beside the grill. By separating these units you are able to better manage how hard they have to work. If it’s too cold your oven will be working overtime to get up to max temp. The same applies to your fridge and freezer. Make sure they don’t get overworked simply by having other hot equipment within a few feet.
Tip 4: Hot Water Can Cost You
If you want to run a more efficient commercial kitchen, you have to manage the hot water it uses. This means educating staff on which tasks require hot water and which don’t. It can also mean insulating hot water pipes to ensure that you aren’t loosing excess energy to get that hot water to the tap.
Tip 5: Maintain your Equipment Regularly
The last tip for keeping costs down in your commercial kitchen is to ensure you maintain your equipment. As commercial kitchen equipment ages, it becomes less efficient. Avoid this trend by keeping a tight schedule for equipment maintenance. Not only will you spend less on replacements, you will ensure that your equipment doesn’t suck energy while it’s in use.