Save Money By Saving Energy At Your Business

Saving energy isn’t just good for the environment, it’s also good for your bottom line. Parts Town is celebrating National Energy Awareness Month with some energy-saving tips that can save real money.

The EPA says restaurants can cut utility costs by 10 to 30 percent without sacrificing quality or service if they perform an energy survey and analysis. If you can’t get an energy survey right now, there are still some tips you can use to save some energy and money.

Maintenance

Energy used during the food preparation process makes up the largest percentage of all energy used in a restaurant, so if you can use even a little less energy, it makes a big difference. Fridges that have bad gaskets cost you more money to maintain and could have a shorter lifespan. Check out our video on what happens if your fridge is left open.

Make sure equipment that utilizes water doesn’t have lime buildup—it causes equipment to work harder and for longer periods of time costing you more money.

Calibrate equipment for maximum efficiency. Check thermostats on appliances to ensure they are at the correct operating temperatures and adjust them as necessary.

Idle Time

There’s a lot of idle time on restaurant equipment, but it can be difficult to pinpoint in the fast-paced environment of a commercial kitchen. Parts Town recommends formulating a plan for startup and shutdown procedures of your cooking equipment and training your staff to follow the plan. If you have multiple fryers, ovens, or other equipment, consider turning them on only when preparing for the meal rush. Lower the temperature of fryers in off peak hours and you’ll save money in energy costs as well as oil cost when you maximize fryer oil lifespan.

Lighting

If you’re still using incandescent lights in your restaurant, you can reduce energy consumption by 75 percent by switching to CFL bulbs or even more with LED technology. Motion activated occupancy sensors can be a useful way to make sure lights are off until they are needed in restrooms, storage areas, and even walk-ins.

Light sensors can also dim lights based on the amount of sunlight detected. You can try to dim lights daily yourself, but diligence is important and the task may fall to the wayside.

HVAC

The EPA says 28% of a restaurant’s energy consumption is from the HVAC system, second only to food preparation (35%). If your vent system isn’t properly set up and is spilling heat and smoke you could be looking at higher energy bills to cool the kitchen. Consider adding inexpensive side panels to your vent system and the next time you are having your ventilation system cleaned by a professional, ask them if they can assess your system.

Check air filters often to make sure your system isn’t working harder than necessary and wasting energy.

Water Usage

Leaking fixtures are probably the most overlooked problems in water conservation. You can save hundreds annually by making sure sinks, mop stations and dishmachines aren’t leaking—and that’s just in water savings!

By replacing your old spray unit with a newer model from a company like T&S Brass, you can save upwards of $300 annually. Older spray valves used 3 gallons per minute (gpm), but today standard sprayers use about 1.6 gpm, and even more efficient models can use as little at 0.6 gpm with the same pressure as the old models!

Dishmachines are another place that you can save water. By only running full racks, you will run fewer wash cycles and save money.

Energy Star Equipment

When it’s time to replace equipment, look for Energy Star certified products that can really help you save money.

Do your research on equipment; don’t just look at the price tag. Rather, learn more about energy costs and efficiency and you may find that spending extra on a good piece of high-efficiency equipment will end up saving you money over the equipment’s lifespan.

It really is easy to save money on energy costs if you diligently plan, train staff, and research options to suit your needs. All it takes is a little effort! If you’re looking for more tips, visit the Energy Star Small Business Network page.