A Few Notes on Going Green

The National Restaurant Association recently published a news article to their website about how making your restaurant more energy efficient doesn’t mean spending a lot of money.

One restaurant owner cited in the article says that his restaurant chain has had the most success with lighting, water and trash. The restaurant owner has updated the lighting fixtures in his operations to models that use less electricity than their predecessors. They are also making a valiant effort to reduce water waste by using low-flow valves on faucets and waterless toilets. They also try to compost as much waste as they can.

The overall point of the article is that every little bit does help. While most restaurant owners don’t have the resources to build a LEED-certified or totally sustainable restaurant, most all restaurant owners can do small things like recycle and change the types of light bulbs used in their establishments.

Save Money by Focusing on Energy and Water Waste

Restaurant operators are encouraged to pay increasing attention to the amount of energy their restaurant equipment utilizes. According to a recent article published by the National Restaurant Association, restaurant operators can save money when they know how much profit is getting eaten by fuel costs of inefficient restaurant equipment.

This does not necessarily mean that restaurant owners need to go out buy all new pieces of energy-star rated restaurant equipment. Monitoring your existing restaurant equipment for energy usage is an important first step in sustainability. If you happen to see a spike in energy usage, this could signal a problem such as an equipment malfunction or employees failing to follow recommended procedures, like turning equipment off when it’s not needed.

Restaurant owners are also encouraged to examine the processes in which they perform common tasks. The industry’s “tried and true” way of doing things, may not always be the most energy efficient or cost-effective. The article sites an example of using a three-compartment sink for washing dishes. A lot of energy can go into making sure water used in the sink is kept at a certain temperature, whereas money could be saved over the long-run by using a dishwasher instead.

Although energy or water-conserving restaurant equipment might cost more, the difference is offset more quickly today as utility costs are continuously rising. Plus, many utilities and/or local governments offer rebates and other incentives for buying more-efficient restaurant equipment.

Cash In on New Equipment Rebates

The Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its online guide to help restaurants find cash rebates for energy-saving kitchen equipment. The rebates range in value from $30 to $2,000 depending on the type of equipment.

The incentives apply to equipment that has been certified as energy efficient by Energy Star, and the money typically comes from local utilities and not the EPA. Energy Star also has an incentive finder on their website to help restaurateurs determine what money they’d get back from buying Energy Star-rated equipment. Energy Star tests eight types: dishwashers, griddles, fryers, steamers, holding cabinets, ice machines, refrigerators and freezers, and ovens.

Trending Now: LEED Certified Restaurants

The National Restaurant Association recently recognized Starbucks for their initiative to reuse building materials in several of their establishments. Whenever possible Starbucks uses elements recovered from the local area, such as gym floors or college campus seating in an effort to give the store a local feel.

Many other restaurants and bars are beginning to follow suit, as the growing reuse industry makes materials more accessible. By giving a second life to floors, ceilings, windows, cabinets or sinks stripped from shuttered or renovated establishments, restaurants are helping to ease the strain on the environment. Reuse of materials not only spares natural resources, but also keeps existing resources out of the landfills.

Visit the National Restaurant Association’s website for more information on the effort to reuse as well as tips on how to find salvaged materials in your area.

If you’re in the market for new commercial restaurant equipment, there are lots of calculations to make. One of the most important is life-cycle costs. Life cycle costs on your commercial restaurant equipment include purchase price, annual energy costs and long-term investments such as maintenance and repair. The smartest purchase in terms of life cycle costs is buying Energy Star qualified appliances.

Energy Star appliances have incentives beyond the significant amount of utility bill savings. Serv-U has collected a state-by-state list of incentives offered for purchasing energy efficient restaurant equipment. These offers can make a big difference on the bottom line of your equipment costs. Contact a Serv-U sales representative and check with your utility company and local government for additional details on the offers.

A recent release by Supply and Equipment Food Service Alliance shows that restaurants use about 2.5 times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings. Energy costs have been increasing at a rate of 6 to 8 percent per year. Investing in Energy Star qualified equipment is the best way to protect your business against rising energy prices!

If the dishes in your restaurant aren’t spotless, it doesn’t matter how good your food may taste or how brilliant the service you offer may be. People are not interested in dining on dirty plates, sipping from soiled glasses, or cutting with grimy forks and knives.

Commercial dishwashers are essential restaurant equipment to lower your labor costs, increase the capacity of your operation, improve consistency and efficiency and reduce breakage, making them a key component to the flow of every kitchen. Many options are available to suit your warewashing needs and with some careful consideration, you should be ready to supply your kitchen!

Dishwashers sanitize by using either hot water or a chemical sanitizing solution—commonly referred to as high temperature or low temperature dishwashers, respectively. The temperature of the final sanitizing rinse in a high temperature machine must be at least 180 degrees. Depending on the incoming water temperature a 40 degree rise (for 140 degree water) or a 70 degree rise (for 110 degree water) from a  booster heater is required to reach the high temperature dishwasher’s 180 degree rinse cycle.

Low temperature models have a lower upfront cost but they require the operator to buy sanitizing chemicals regularly for the rinse. Although low temperature dishwashers use less energy, operating costs tend to be about the same because of the continued purchase of the required chemical. Both low and high temperature models use detergent, but the sanitizing rinse chemicals are used only for low temperature models.

The energy efficiency of your restaurant equipment is an important consideration as energy and water costs continue to rise. Most commercial dishwashers employ automatic fill and idle pump shutoff features. Energy Star, a government run agency, now rates commercial dishwashers for their energy efficiency. Energy Star rated units will operate more efficiently than non-rated ones, so look for the Energy Star label when you're buying a commercial dishwasher. Serv-U is an Energy Star partner. Call our sales representatives to find out more about energy efficiency options.

Serv-U offers all types of dishwashers, including the most popular undercounter and pass-though style dishwashers. Pass-through designs, as the name suggests, allow racks to be passed through the unit. This enables one rack to be prepared and waiting while another is being washed. Once washed, the clean rack is slid out of the dishwasher from a side opening and the other rack can be inserted in the opposite opening. When purchasing racks be aware of the size of your glasses and the intended purpose of the rack. Do you plan on using the racks for storage as well as the sanitizing process?

Another important consideration in dishwasher capacity is your water usage. Most commercial dishwashers use less than 2 gallons of water per cycle. Some use less than 1 gallon per cycle. Depending upon the model, it’s possible to clean between 24 and 60 loads per hour. Determining the number of racks you will need is also important. An equation that may help is: number of pieces per person, multiplied by the number of customers expected per hour and divided by 20 pieces per rack. This tells you the number of racks required per hour.

Finally, when it comes time to place your dishwasher in the kitchen, make to check local codes and energy rebates. Some locations have condensate hood requirements, water discharge requirements and considerable energy efficiency rebates.

Overall, a dishwasher is an important investment. Check with your health inspector to find out if there are any local codes to be complied with. Next, call one of Serv-U’s knowledgeable sales representatives to help you navigate the shopping process and ensure spotless results!

To steal a fashion-week phrase, “green is the new black.”  Going efficient is becoming more and more mainstream, and restaurateurs are finding out that it’s about saving money as much as it is about saving the planet.  (Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that many potential customers take a keen interest in the issue, too!)

The National Restaurant Association recently released the results of an informal poll, asking what “green” measure made the most business sense to restaurateurs.  The results can be seen here: NRN Green Poll.

So—if you haven’t started any green initiatives yet, recycling may be a great way to get your foot in the door.  And when you want to save money on utilities, Serv-U can help you find new restaurant equipment that uses far less electricity, gas, and water than older models.  You can start with something as small as adding efficient pre-rinse spray heads to your dish sinks—or you can go big by purchasing Energy Star-certified restaurant equipment.  Visit our Energy Efficiency page for ideas and information about efficiency rebates.


(Photo from Flickr courtesy of "gmnonic.")

It seems that in the holiday hubbub, an important event has passed virtually unnoticed…as of January 1, 2008, “Commercial Ice Machines” has become an official Energy Star category in the area of commercial foodservice.  (They join dishwashers, fryers, hot food holding cabinets, refrigerators/freezers, and steam cookers.)

Here at Serv-U, we’ve been looking forward to this day for some time.  Now if you head on over to Serv-U’s ice machine offerings, you will find all Energy Star ice machines marked as such in the department page and you will also see the Energy Star logo on the product pages of those machines that made the cut.  (NOTE: Only air-cooled machines are Energy Star-qualified.)

This is just one more area where you can find energy savings for your business; Energy Star qualified ice machines are on average 15% more energy efficient than standard models.  They also save money on water, as they are about 10% more water efficient than standard ice machines.  Like other Energy Star-qualified products, an Energy Star ice machine will almost definitely save you money over the life of the equipment.  To get an idea of how much money you can save by purchasing an Energy Star ice machine over a standard model, try out Energy Star’s life cycle cost calculator.

Just click the “Assumptions” tab at the bottom of the calculator and change the information there to fit your scenario (example: change prices to reflect the models you are considering).  Then, click back to the “Commercial Ice Machine Calc” tab to see what your savings could be.

Add to that the incentives you might be eligible for over at Serv-U’s efficiency incentives page, and buying energy efficient equipment looks better and better.

"New Energy Star Specifications for Commercial Dishwashers and Ice Machines

Release date: 07/31/2007

Contact Information: Enesta Jones, (202) 564-4355 / jones.enesta@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. - July 31, 2007) Today EPA is announcing specifications for two new commercial food service products -- dishwashers and ice machines -- that will earn the Energy Star label. More efficient commercial kitchen equipment can save restaurants and food service facilities from 10 to 30 percent on commercial kitchen energy consumption.

"Energy efficiency is a top priority among restaurant owners and operators," said Bob Meyers, EPA's principal deputy assistant administrator for Air and Radiation. "We are pleased to deliver more options to save on energy costs and help protect the environment through two new commercial food service products earning the Energy Star."

The specifications cover several types of machines in both categories, requiring them to meet maximum energy and water efficiency savings. Other Energy Star commercial food service products include fryers, steam cookers, hot food holding cabinets, and solid door reach-in refrigerators and freezers.

Restaurant and commercial kitchen owners and operators will be able to purchase Energy Star qualified commercial dishwashers starting Oct.11, 2007 and ice makers starting Jan. 1, 2008. Over the next five years, these new Energy Star products are expected to save restaurants $100 million in reduced energy and water costs. These products will help improve the energy intensity of food service buildings, which consume roughly 2.5 times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings.

Energy Star was started by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. In 2006 alone, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved $14 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 25 million vehicles."