A Guide for Hotels: Boosting Profits with Energy Efficiency & Conservation

Restaurants

Many larger hotels operate a restaurant or commercial kitchen, and a major resort facility can have numerous restaurants and commercial kitchens on site. Like any operator in the food service business, a hotel restaurant or kitchen has many opportunities to save energy and money.

Cooking Equipment

As in any kitchen, cooking equipment uses the lion's share of energy - energy you can save through efficiency and conservation. These potential energy savings translate into hundreds or thousands of dollars saved per year if your hotel restaurant upgrades older cooking equipment to ENERGY STAR qualified models.

Below are just a few of the examples of how much can be saved in your hotel kitchen. For more information, download Flex Your Power's guide to restaurant efficiency Boosting Restaurant Profits With Energy Efficiency.

  • The EPA estimates that a new ENERGY STAR qualified commercial steamer can save 11,000 kWh (electric models) or 65Mbtu (gas models) per year over older inefficient equipment. This can mean a cost savings of $600 to $15,00 annually for a single steamer. ENERGY STAR qualified connectionless steam cookers also save water. They can cut water consumption by up to 90% and save approximately 170,000 gallons annually.
  • ENERGY STAR qualified fryers offer significant savings while increasing production rates. The EPA estimates that ENERGY STAR qualified fryers can save approximately 1,000 kWh (electric models) or 36 Mbtu (gas models) annually. This adds up to savings of approximately $130 to $360 per year for each upgraded fryer.

Energy-Efficiency and Conservation

By practicing some simple energy-efficiency and conservation in the kitchen, you can cut energy bills without sacrificing cooking performance or spending a lot of money.

  • Be sure to turn off standby cooking appliances when they are not in use. Hot food holding cabinets, heat lamps, steamers and broilers are often left on throughout the day.
  • Conserve water, especially hot water, wherever possible. By adding aerators, low-flow spray valves and other water saving items you can reduce both water and energy bills. Adding insulation to hot water pipes and heaters will also cut costs and save energy.
  • Clean refrigerator condenser coils at least every three months and defrost freezers frequently. Make sure to install strip curtains on walk-ins and check all seals regularly for air leaks. These easy steps can cut costs and energy use.

For a comprehensive guide to saving energy in your hotel restaurant please see Flex Your Power's guide Boosting Restaurant Profits With Energy Efficiency.