Commercial Cooking Equipment
Food prep accounts for up to 35% of a restaurant’s energy bill, presenting a major opportunity for efficiency savings.
Food preparation is the number-one energy expense for Vermont restaurants, so installing ENERGY STAR® certified ovens, fryers, griddles, and exhaust hood controls can yield a quick return on investment. In addition, there are low- and no-cost ways to save even more. Add side panels to exhaust hoods, turn off equipment when not in use, position each piece correctly under its hood, and have a technician calibrate all equipment.
Steam Cookers and Hot Food Holding Cabinets
Steam cookers are used for batch-cooking large amounts of food. Although generating steam is energy intensive, you can significantly reduce your costs with an ENERGY STAR steam cooker. These cookers are up to 50% more efficient and use an impressive 90% less water. Hot food holding cabinets are another piece of equipment worth upgrading. ENERGY STAR models use 70% less energy, lose less heat, and prevent food from overheating by maintaining more consistent temperatures.
- Enjoy safer food handling with ENERGY STAR hot food holding cabinets
- Temperatures are more uniform with ENERGY STAR steam cookers
- Energy-efficient steam cookers use 90% less water
Convection Ovens, Fryers, and Griddles
Convection ovens are the workhorse of commercial kitchens, and ENERGY STAR certified models use up to 20% less energy than standard ovens. Fryers are found everywhere from grocery stores to fast-food chains and restaurants. High-efficiency fryers use up to 35% less energy and have shorter cook times and higher production yields. ENERGY STAR griddles are 10% more efficient than standard models and deliver uniform temperatures for more consistent food appearance and quality.
- Lower your bill by up to 35% with ENERGY STAR models
- Save on cooking fuel (gas, propane, etc.) and electricity
- No hot spots, higher production, and better consistency
Hood Controls and Sensors
Kitchen hood fans are often energy wasters because they’re either 100% on or 100% off. They also exhaust air you’ve already paid to heat or cool. With demand control kitchen ventilation, you can retrofit your hood fan with new controls that automatically sense and adjust to the volume of food being cooked. The result is lower bills, a more comfortable space for staff and customers, and a reduction in required “make-up air” (the fresh air that must be brought in to replace the air you exhaust).
- Reduce hood fan energy use by up to 70%
- Extend equipment life by retrofitting with new controls
- Investment pays for itself within four years
Contact us for advice on cost-effective improvements for your commercial kitchen. We can help with design review, incentives, leasing, and financing.