Best Practice Guide

Local Governments

Introduction

Planning an Energy Program

Funding and Approval

Education

Lighting

Central HVAC System

Procurement Policy

Building Envelope

Demand Response

Distributed Generation

Water Use

Motors

Food Service

Tips for Energy Savings

Buying and Operating Equipment

Insulation

Sanitation and Water Use

Heating and Cooling Systems

Ventilation

Resources and Appendices

Lessons Learned


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Food Service

Tips for Energy Savings

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Cook up some savings


Square-foot for square-foot, food service areas rank among the most energy-intensive commercial spaces in California. It’s not just the cooking equipment that’s to blame—heating, cooling, lighting and sanitation each account for major portions of the average cafeteria’s electricity and natural gas consumption.

As you might guess, all that energy use means there’s a lot of room to start saving. But here’s something you might not have guessed: Saving energy—and thus saving money—is often easy. In some cases, it’s as simple as changing a few everyday practices.

Take broilers, for example. Cutting out only one hour each day of broiler on-time could translate to a savings of around $450 annually. While $450 might not sound like much at first, it could be huge when you think in terms of your profit margin. Consider this: If your cafeteria operates with a profit margin of around five percent, you’ll need about $9,000 worth of sales to earn $450.

Every dollar saved through energy efficiency is a dollar profit—and even modest improvements to efficiency can lead to major leaps in overall profits.

Tips for buying new cooking equipment


In the case of new appliances, it pays to look beyond the sticker price. Make an energy-smart purchase by thinking in terms of life-cycle costs, which include purchase price, annual energy costs and any other long-term costs associated with the equipment.

Thinking in the long term can really pay off. In the case of ENERGY STAR qualified connectionless steamers, for example, the water and energy savings over a conventional boiler-based steamer could add up to several thousand dollars in just one year! Multiply those annual savings by the entire life of the appliance, and the financial benefits of energy efficiency become truly striking.

If you’re in the market for new equipment, consider the following general tips for minimizing life-cycle costs:

  • Always ask equipment manufacturers and dealers for energy use information.
  • Check online for efficiency information on specific makes and models. The Web site of PG &E’s Food Service
  • Technology Center is a great place to start. Find it at www.fishnick.com.
  • Ask dealers about maintenance. In some cases, energy-efficient equipment may require more or less upkeep than the standard-efficiency counterpart.
  • Buy ENERGY STAR qualified appliances whenever possible.

Audits


An energy audit is a great way to learn about how much energy you use and to identify customized options for becoming more efficient. Depending on your utility provider, both on-site and online options may be available—possibly for free. Flex Your Power’s audit locator can help you identify programs in your area. Find it online at www.fypower.org/assistance

See how you stack up


ENERGY STAR collaborates with Flex Your Power and provides free energy efficiency information and technical support for restaurants and cafeterias. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov/smallbiz and click on “Restaurants.” 

Appliances and Food Preparation 


Saving energy in the kitchen. When it comes to saving energy in the kitchen, the way in which you use your appliances can be just as important as the appliances you use. Buying and using an energy-efficient oven, for example, is undoubtedly a good starting point and could trim hundreds of dollars from your annual utility bills - but saving the most energy and money will require something more: good practices.

Cut idle time. Do you need all of your appliances on, all of the time? Probably not. Idling appliances cost you money, so implement a startup/shutdown plan to make sure that you’re using only the appliances that you need, when you need them. The savings can be substantial. Cutting only one hour of broiler idle time every day, for example, could save $450 annually.

Cook wisely. Ovens tend to be more efficient than rotisseries; griddles tend to be more efficient than broilers. Examine your cooking methods and menu and find ways to rely on your more-efficient appliances.

Maintain and repair. Don’t let everyday wear and tear start driving up your energy bills. While a leaky gasket, clogged burner or loose oven-door hinge may not waste much energy, combine all three and suddenly the waste is not so insignificant. Stop waste by staying on top of repairs.

Recalibrate to stay efficient. It’s likely that over time the performance of your kitchen appliances will degrade. Thermostats and control systems can fail or fall out of calibration. Take the time to do an occasional thermostat check and recalibrate as necessary to ensure that you’re cooking at the right temperature. Repair or replace broken control panels on ovens, steamers, and other appliances with controls systems, and don’t forget to replace missing knobs on manually controlled appliances like ranges, griddles and broilers.

Check pilot lights. Older gas-burning appliances typically feature pilot lights, which require a constant stream of gas to stay lit. Check pilot flames occasionally to make sure you’re using only as much gas as you need. How do you spot an over-fired pilot light? A tall yellow flame is the giveaway.

Buy energy-efficient appliances. Inefficient appliances make for an expensive double-whammy: in addition to having higher operating costs, inefficient kitchen appliances tend to emit more heat than their efficient counterparts resulting in a hotter kitchen and potentially forcing you to spend more to cool the air. Buy ENERGY STAR qualified equipment whenever possible.

Buy with capacity in mind. Size up your food production needs and try to buy appliances that match your needs on a pounds-per-hour basis while allowing yourself a little headroom. Grossly oversized appliances can hit you in the pocketbook as both capital costs and operating costs. Overcapacity is particularly painful, as you pay to heat up the production capacity you will never use.