Restaurant Energy Management Strategies

There are three main factors to take in to consideration when it comes energy efficiency in restaurants and the three factors are Restaurant Operations, Restaurant Furniture and Restaurant Systems. These factors are important for a number of reasons, with energy management being the most important of these factors. Understanding how each factor affects your energy efficiency will allow you to reduce your energy costs while improving the operating efficiency of your restaurant.

First, restaurant operations are required to obtain permits for any construction or changes to the operation level of the restaurant, including, but not limited to, electrical, lighting, heating, HVAC and other systems. This permits are obtained through the local government and the permits need to be in compliance with any municipal ordinances. For instance, if your city requires an HVAC system that is 10 psg or greater then you must have an air conditioning system that has at least a rating of 10 is or greater in order to remain compliant. Also, if your city requires your oven to be a certain size or color, or your fryer to spin at a certain speed then you must operate your fryer and oven according to those standards. While these standards and requirements may seem minimal, they do create efficiencies in the operation of your restaurant.

Air conditioners and refrigerators are often required to be a certain size, temperature and color. In addition to this, a new hot dog cart may be required to operate with adequate space for operation and cooking, depending on the size and style of car desired. Each of these appliances is designed to operate in a specific environment, which means that the design needs to accommodate the operation of the appliance as well as match the size, color and temperature of the restaurant's appliances. While some small restaurants can operate all of their operations from a small kitchen, in larger restaurants, such as mid-range and large chain restaurants, the restaurant must have additional space for operations and seating. This additional space is generally found around the restaurant,

Restaurants energy management begins with understanding their customer's energy consumption habits and then implementing systems that reduce or remove the need for energy consumption at a loss. Many businesses use a barcode system for inventory purchases and for ordering take-out food. By implementing energy management systems that collect and track energy consumption, restaurant owners can reduce the need to spend money on purchasing new equipment for energy-efficient operation, which can save the company thousands of dollars over the life of the equipment. Some companies even offer to pay for a portion of the energy consumption reductions if the business proves to be a good customer. However, for smaller restaurants, such as fast food or small diner type businesses,

Another aspect of  assisted living energy management is to ensure that every employee understands their role and their part in contributing to the reduction of energy usage by the restaurant. As with other businesses, each restaurant employee has a responsibility to understand the impact of their actions on the environment and their impact on the energy usage. For example, when employees bring food in to the restaurant, they may be disposing of plastic items by lifting the lid off the package or, in some cases, refilling a water bottle or using a credit card to pay for the item. Learning how to replace items left behind on a table can also help in reducing the amount of paper waste. In addition, by asking employees to fill out a list of everything that they consume, it becomes easier to teach the importance and the value of water conservation.

Finally, when a restaurant is undergoing energy management, it can benefit from educating customers on saving energy. For example, many hotels have recently installed energy-efficient, LED (light emitting diode) lighting, which saves the company money and also create more room for conversation and socializing. Similarly, smaller businesses, such as restaurants, can encourage customers to recycle by offering small containers or totes for foods and other consumables that are reusable, such as paper plates and disposable cups. While these small steps may not seem significant on the surface, collectively they will play a large role in improving the sustainability and the health of a business. To familiarize yourself with this topic, read this article:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_conservation .