There are plenty of reasons to go green: It’s glamorous! It’s trendy! It’s great PR! But going green isn’t all wild salmon, local organic farmers and exquisite heirloom vegetables. It’s also replacing lightbulbs, maintaining the refrigerator and fixing leaks. Those small changes add up to big bucks for operators.
We got some great tips Saturday at one of the NRA Show's 65 education sessions. Richard Young, senior engineer and education director at PG&E's Food Service Technology Center, laid out several simple things restaurants can do to reduce energy use and cut costs. It can be as simple as looking at your lights.
- Use compact fluorescent bulbs. If you’re unsure about how the lighting will look in the dining room, start with the exhaust hoods and walk-ins.
- Get a low-flow pre-rinse spray valve. Think it’s not worth the trouble? Consider this: A standard valve that sends out 4.5 gallons per minute will add up to $1,650 in water costs per year. A 1.15 gpm model gets you $440 in water costs. “That’s a $1,200 saving for a $40 part,” Young said. “Nobody makes that kind of money unless they’re selling crack.”
- Fix leaks. It’s not as sexy as wild salmon, but it makes a big difference to the environment -- plus you can save up to $800 a year in water and heating costs. Not bad for a 40-cent washer.
- Do your preventative maintenance on your refrigeration system. Clean the condenser and evaporator, check the door gaskets, and make sure the doors actually close. And if the door to your walk-in tends to stay open, strip curtains can reduce heat infiltration by 75 percent.
- Turn off the freezer’s door heater or defogger. You usually only need to turn this on when condensation appears around the perimeter of the door. Switching it off can save $50 per door per year.
- Invest in efficient appliances. Sure, it’s more expensive at the outset, but think about the costs over the lifetime of an appliance. “It’s stunning to do the math and realize a little $500 steamer, for example, actually costs $6,000 a year to operate.”
- Consider switching to a demand-ventilation system. These systems use optical and temperature sensors to figure out when the exhaust hood needs to kick in. The Mark Hopkins hotel in San Francisco saved $19,000 in energy costs a year with such a system. (On-demand ventilation may not be the best choice for restaurants that use a hot grill or broiler all the time.)
For more tips, including information on equipment rebates, check out The Food Service Technology Center Web site.
If you're like us, you've probably noticed a "green" tint on the NRA Show floor this year. But it's not the lighting — it's the enormous number of exhibitors stepping up to meet a voracious appetite for eco-friendly and sustainable products and practices.