Understanding Energy Use: A Restaurant’s Guide to Lower Costs
Working out restaurant energy use may look complicated, but it’s not difficult. Knowing which appliances use the most energy, you can better control their use and consider upgrades or a change in how they are used. Commercial cooking equipment has a long life, and much of what you have could be from when energy costs were much less of an issue. An energy audit can also provide a detailed breakdown of this and will be useful.
Start by understanding the units of measurement and checking the price per kWh or MJ that your provider is charging. There may also be standing charges and varied prices by time, season, or amount consumed—many of these can be negotiated.
Check if your usage is above ‘small business’ levels—you may be eligible for a ‘large market commercial contract’. Because hospitality businesses use a lot of power, this could be an option. Brokers often handle these accounts and can assist – start with a government information site.
Electricity: Measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is a measure of power (how much energy you’re using at any moment), and a kilowatt-hour is a measure of energy (how much power you’ve used over time). So if you have a 1,000-watt (or 1 kilowatt) microwave that you run for one hour, that’s 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity used. There are inexpensive test plugs for measuring the usage of 10Amp and 15Amp appliances – beyond that eg 3-Phase, it needs professional testing.
Gas: Measured in megajoules (MJ). Similar to electricity, this is a measure of energy. For instance, if you have a gas stove top rated at 40MJ per hour and run it continuously for an hour, you would have consumed 40 megajoules of gas.
Practical examples of restaurant energy use – stoves, ovens and dishwashers
Ovens: Electric ovens can vary in usage but tend to use around 2-2.5 kWh for a typical baking cycle. Gas ovens often use around 12MJ per hour, depending on the oven’s efficiency.
Dishwashers: A commercial dishwasher can use significant energy, particularly because it uses electricity (for running the machine and heating the water) and water. A high-use dishwasher consumes 2-3 kWh per cycle.
Gas Deep Fryer: Deep fryers can be significant energy users, particularly because they’re often kept on for hours. A typical commercial gas deep fryer might use around 70-90 MJ per hour when frying but less when it is just keeping the oil hot. Therefore, a fryer frying for 3 hours a day and keeping warm for another 5 hours might use about 400-500 MJ per day.
Single Burner on a Gas Stove: A single burner might use anywhere from 15-25 MJ per hour when it’s running at full capacity. However, most burners aren’t run at full capacity all the time. A burner used moderately throughout the day might use around 100-150 MJ daily.
Wok Burner: They use a lot of gas because of their design for high heat output. When run at full capacity, a single wok burner might use anywhere from 70 to 120 MJ (megajoules) per hour. However, they often do not run at full power all the time. If a wok burner is used intensively for about 5 hours daily, it could consume around 350 to 600 MJ daily. Keeping wok burners well-maintained is essential, ensuring the gas is burning efficiently and the heat is directed onto the wok rather than being wasted.
Hot Lamps: For keeping food warm, use 250 to 500 watts per bulb. So that equals .5 kWh per hour, multiplied by the number of lamps.
Energy Use by Air Conditioning and Lighting
Air Conditioning: The units’ energy usage can vary significantly depending on their size and efficiency. Air conditioning is often a major energy use in businesses like restaurants and cafes, particularly in warmer climates. A moderately-sized air conditioner might use around 3-4 kWh per hour when running. So if it’s on for 8 hours a day, that’s around 24-32 kWh daily. Remember that air conditioning units often use more energy when they first start up or if they’re working hard to cool a hot space.
Lighting: The energy consumption here really depends on the type of lighting you have. For instance, LED lights use much less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. For example, running ten 10-watt LED lights for 10 hours would consume 1 kWh. See also How to Boost Restaurant & Cafe Profits with Better Lighting.
Energy Use by Restaurant Refrigeration
Fridges and Freezers: These are some of your biggest energy consumers because they’re always on. A commercial fridge might use around 4-6 kWh per day, while a commercial freezer could use anywhere from 12-20 kWh daily.
Walk-in Cool Room: varies according to the size of the cooler, efficiency of the cooler’s insulation, temperature at which it’s set, how often the door is opened and closed, and the efficiency of the cooling system. A typical walk-in cool room might use around 15-25 kWh daily. This can go up to 40-50 kWh per day for larger or less efficient units or 10-15 kWh for smaller or more efficient units.
How Refrigerator Thermostats Work
Refrigeration systems use a thermostat that measures the temperature inside the fridge or cool room. You set the thermostat to the desired temperature, for example, 4° Celsius for a fridge, and it does the rest.
When the temperature rises above the set temperature, the thermostat signals the refrigeration system to turn on, and it cools the air inside until the temperature drops back down to the set level, then it turns off. This cycle continues day and night to maintain the right temperature. You can use this to help reduce your energy usage:
Set the right temperature: Setting your refrigeration system to run colder than necessary will make it work harder and use more energy. For example, a fridge typically only needs to be set to around 3-5° Celsius to keep food safe – a freezer at -18° Celsius. The fridge temperature for dairy and protein items might be 1.5 – 2° C.
Keep the door closed: Every time it is opened, warm air gets in, and the temperature rises, making the system work harder to cool it back down.
Regular maintenance: Keeping the refrigeration system well-maintained can ensure it’s working as efficiently as possible. This might include cleaning the condenser coils, checking the door seals, and ensuring the thermostat works properly.
Efficient defrosting: Some systems have automatic defrost cycles that can use much energy. Consider setting these to run during off-peak hours or when the door is not frequently opened and closed to maintain efficiency.
Managing restaurant energy use in your business isn’t as complex as it first appears. By understanding how equipment consumes electricity and gas, you’ve taken the first step towards significant cost savings and efficiency improvements. Harness this knowledge and turn it into actionable change for your restaurant or cafe.
In addition, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has never been more urgent. Many kitchens rely heavily on gas appliances, contributing to carbon emissions – we are part of the problem. When you need to renovate or upgrade, moving to electric equipment is a viable solution – not only can electric equipment be powered by green energy sources like solar or wind, but they also often come with improved energy efficiency and often lower running costs.
Working out restaurant energy use may look complicated, but it’s not difficult. Knowing which appliances use the most energy, you can better control their use and consider upgrades or a change in how they are used. Commercial cooking equipment has a long life, and much of what you have could be from when energy costs were much less of an issue. An energy audit can also provide a detailed breakdown of this and will be useful.
Start by understanding the units of measurement and checking the price per kWh or MJ that your provider is charging. There may also be standing charges and varied prices by time, season, or amount consumed—many of these can be negotiated.
Check if your usage is above ‘small business’ levels—you may be eligible for a ‘large market commercial contract’. Because hospitality businesses use a lot of power, this could be an option. Brokers often handle these accounts and can assist – start with a government information site.
Electricity: Measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is a measure of power (how much energy you’re using at any moment), and a kilowatt-hour is a measure of energy (how much power you’ve used over time). So if you have a 1,000-watt (or 1 kilowatt) microwave that you run for one hour, that’s 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity used. There are inexpensive test plugs for measuring the usage of 10Amp and 15Amp appliances – beyond that eg 3-Phase, it needs professional testing.
Gas: Measured in megajoules (MJ). Similar to electricity, this is a measure of energy. For instance, if you have a gas stove top rated at 40MJ per hour and run it continuously for an hour, you would have consumed 40 megajoules of gas.
Practical examples of restaurant energy use – stoves, ovens and dishwashers
Ovens: Electric ovens can vary in usage but tend to use around 2-2.5 kWh for a typical baking cycle. Gas ovens often use around 12MJ per hour, depending on the oven’s efficiency.
Dishwashers: A commercial dishwasher can use significant energy, particularly because it uses electricity (for running the machine and heating the water) and water. A high-use dishwasher consumes 2-3 kWh per cycle.
Gas Deep Fryer: Deep fryers can be significant energy users, particularly because they’re often kept on for hours. A typical commercial gas deep fryer might use around 70-90 MJ per hour when frying but less when it is just keeping the oil hot. Therefore, a fryer frying for 3 hours a day and keeping warm for another 5 hours might use about 400-500 MJ per day.
Single Burner on a Gas Stove: A single burner might use anywhere from 15-25 MJ per hour when it’s running at full capacity. However, most burners aren’t run at full capacity all the time. A burner used moderately throughout the day might use around 100-150 MJ daily.
Wok Burner: They use a lot of gas because of their design for high heat output. When run at full capacity, a single wok burner might use anywhere from 70 to 120 MJ (megajoules) per hour. However, they often do not run at full power all the time. If a wok burner is used intensively for about 5 hours daily, it could consume around 350 to 600 MJ daily. Keeping wok burners well-maintained is essential, ensuring the gas is burning efficiently and the heat is directed onto the wok rather than being wasted.
Hot Lamps: For keeping food warm, use 250 to 500 watts per bulb. So that equals .5 kWh per hour, multiplied by the number of lamps.
Energy Use by Air Conditioning and Lighting
Air Conditioning: The units’ energy usage can vary significantly depending on their size and efficiency. Air conditioning is often a major energy use in businesses like restaurants and cafes, particularly in warmer climates. A moderately-sized air conditioner might use around 3-4 kWh per hour when running. So if it’s on for 8 hours a day, that’s around 24-32 kWh daily. Remember that air conditioning units often use more energy when they first start up or if they’re working hard to cool a hot space.
Lighting: The energy consumption here really depends on the type of lighting you have. For instance, LED lights use much less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. For example, running ten 10-watt LED lights for 10 hours would consume 1 kWh. See also How to Boost Restaurant & Cafe Profits with Better Lighting.
Energy Use by Restaurant Refrigeration
Fridges and Freezers: These are some of your biggest energy consumers because they’re always on. A commercial fridge might use around 4-6 kWh per day, while a commercial freezer could use anywhere from 12-20 kWh daily.
Walk-in Cool Room: varies according to the size of the cooler, efficiency of the cooler’s insulation, temperature at which it’s set, how often the door is opened and closed, and the efficiency of the cooling system. A typical walk-in cool room might use around 15-25 kWh daily. This can go up to 40-50 kWh per day for larger or less efficient units or 10-15 kWh for smaller or more efficient units.
How Refrigerator Thermostats Work
Refrigeration systems use a thermostat that measures the temperature inside the fridge or cool room. You set the thermostat to the desired temperature, for example, 4° Celsius for a fridge, and it does the rest.
When the temperature rises above the set temperature, the thermostat signals the refrigeration system to turn on, and it cools the air inside until the temperature drops back down to the set level, then it turns off. This cycle continues day and night to maintain the right temperature. You can use this to help reduce your energy usage:
Managing restaurant energy use in your business isn’t as complex as it first appears. By understanding how equipment consumes electricity and gas, you’ve taken the first step towards significant cost savings and efficiency improvements. Harness this knowledge and turn it into actionable change for your restaurant or cafe.
In addition, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has never been more urgent. Many kitchens rely heavily on gas appliances, contributing to carbon emissions – we are part of the problem. When you need to renovate or upgrade, moving to electric equipment is a viable solution – not only can electric equipment be powered by green energy sources like solar or wind, but they also often come with improved energy efficiency and often lower running costs.
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