Restaurant Energy Saving Program by Easy2Cook

The Problem

The average restaurateur spends between 4% and 6% of every dollar on utility bills. Electricity is the largest expense item among utility payments.

The distribution of electricity expenses looks as follows: food preparation (23%), space heating (19%), water heating with gas (19%), lighting (11%), and other needs.

Compared to a classical restaurant, fast-food establishments consume approximately 8% more electricity per "energy dollar."

One grill can consume more electricity than six electric frying pans or pans on an electric stove.

A 20% reduction in electricity consumption can increase restaurant profit by 33%.

Switching from a standard incandescent lamp to a fluorescent one provides savings of approximately $60 per year per lamp.

Real-World Utility Costs

Here is a typical example of monthly utility expenses for a 50–60 seat restaurant with gas equipment installed:

Gas – $200Electricity – $315Utilities (water + heating) – $975Waste removal – $345Security – $345Refrigeration – $145Pest control – $60Telephone – $115Laundry – $290

Total: $2,790 per month or $33,480 per year

Now let's try to reduce this amount by 30%.

Energy Saving Tips

Lighting and Automation

Install motion sensors in the parking lot — this saves up to $60 per fixture per year.

Use photocells for lighting systems — this saves up to $28 per lamp in freezer cases or industrial refrigerators.

Fluorescent lamps in the kitchen are much more economical than incandescent bulbs. Replacing one incandescent bulb with a fluorescent one saves approximately $60 per bulb per year.

Install motion sensors or timer-based switching in all utility rooms, including pantries and storage areas.

Install low-temperature sensors or timer switching in freezers and walk-in cooling tunnels. This not only saves electricity but also reduces compressor loads.

Use rheostats (dimmers), motion sensors, and photo sensors for automatic lighting control in the restaurant dining room.

Use sodium or low-wattage halogen lamps for outdoor lighting.

Use small fluorescent bulbs in the kitchen.

Refrigeration and Cooling

Hang a silicon strip curtain in the walk-in refrigerator doorway. It will save you approximately $300 per year.

Clean condenser blocks of your refrigerators from dust once per quarter — this saves up to $60 per year.

Use thermostats wherever temperature regulation is recommended. Every one-degree increase in heat setting results in a 4–5% increase in energy consumption.

For a small restaurant, there is no need to buy floor-standing equipment.

Cooking Equipment Optimization

A thermostat saves up to 30% of process equipment electricity. If you cook meat for 3 hours at pasteurization temperature (+65°C), you save 15% electricity compared to cooking at 85°C for 1.5 hours.

Create a schedule for turning kitchen appliances on and off. Introduce a rule for staff to turn off grills and electric skillets during order lulls, and turn off ovens after baking is complete. After switching off, any equipment will retain heat for no more than 10–12 minutes.

Close thermostat covers to prevent temperature settings from being accidentally changed.

Heat thermal equipment no higher than the temperature specified in the product manual. During low order activity — turn equipment off.

Ventilation Systems

Redesign your exhaust system if it is installed as a single forced-air system. Ensure each exhaust hood has an independent exhaust system. Turn off operating hoods when the equipment underneath them is not working.

Water and Dishwashing

Reduce the load on the dishwasher. Shift part of the hot water usage to washing dishes with a rubber hose. Heat only the volume of water needed for dishwashing. There is no point in heating water to a temperature that requires mixing with cold water.

Use faucet aerators in the dishwashing area to save hot water.

Cookware Selection

The choice of pots and pans for cooking can seriously affect your kitchen's energy savings. Pans and pots should be 2–3 cm larger in diameter than the burner on which they stand. Smooth-bottom pans are much more efficient than ribbed or rounded-bottom pans.

An induction cooktop is 3 times more economical than an electric cooktop.

Control the cooking process. During cooking, ensure that flames do not extend beyond the bottom diameter of the cookware. When cooking on an electric stove, you can turn it off 7–10 minutes before cooking is complete. The dish will finish cooking because the heating elements are sufficiently inert and cool slowly. If your dish cooks for an average of 25 minutes, you save approximately 40% of electricity on each such dish.

Use high grates on gas stoves. At the flame tip, heat transfer is 2.5 times faster than at the base of the flame column.

Cooking Techniques

Cooking is especially economical when prepared quickly during high-volume periods. It is very effective to use a pressure cooker or autoclave, which saves up to 2/3 of cooking time.

Always cook with the lid closed. A lid allows faster cooking by retaining heat better. This solution costs nothing and generates savings.

If you want to boil 8 kg of rice in a 25-liter pot, remember that a 35-liter pot with the same bottom diameter will cook twice as much rice and use only 12% more electricity.

Deep Fryer Maintenance

Timely equipment maintenance allows significant cost savings. Let's look at this using the example of a commercial restaurant deep fryer.

Commercial fryers have a heating element that comes into direct contact with oil and fat, so it requires heating limits because it transfers heat back very quickly. We recommend using a heating rule of 7 to 15 minutes. Longer preheating simply leads to energy losses. Additionally, setting a higher temperature does not result in faster heating. On the contrary, the fryer will not heat up faster, and overheating can lead to wasted electricity and product spoilage due to overheated oil.

Furthermore, the fryer should be switched to minimum temperature when not in use, which allows the oil to last longer and saves energy.

The basket should not be filled more than half or two-thirds full. Overloading the basket does not increase cooking speed — it simply increases cooking time, compromising the quality of the finished product.

Fryer Oil Maintenance

The best way to save electricity when using a fryer is to keep the oil as clean as possible. This means that frequently — ideally every day — the oil should be drained and strained through a special fryer filter.

Every fryer has so-called stagnant zones where the oil does not heat sufficiently and food residues accumulate. This contaminates the oil and changes the taste of the prepared dish.

Are you surprised that your onions smell like seafood?

Fryer maintenance requires special diligence from the cook. The appearance of an unpleasant odor means the fryer is overheated, or the service life of that portion has expired.

If scale and deposits form on the heating element of the fryer, forget about any savings, as the energy consumption of a contaminated heater is incomparably higher than a clean one.

Gas fryers heat up faster but emit significantly more heat, which requires greater ventilation capacity — however, they are advantageous to use in winter.

Low-Temperature Meat Processing

Low-temperature thermal processing of meat products is the most progressive and economical approach to cooking.

Long simmering of problematic meat — not very good cuts with a high percentage of connective tissue — at temperatures from 55–63°C breaks down rigid tissue bonds and makes the meat amazingly tender.

Modern attachments for gastronorm containers with a rotary system of heating elements allow easy and inexpensive implementation of this new technology in the kitchen. You no longer need to buy an expensive combi-oven. The rotary attachment is fixed to the sides of a pot or gastronorm container and, according to the controller's programmed settings, simmers meat for 3–4 hours.

The Chef's Perspective on Low-Temperature Cooking

The great innovative chef Heston Blumenthal offers this perspective on low-temperature meat processing:

"I am often asked which kitchen tool is my favorite. This is a difficult question because I have many — and they are all important. I name the thermometer, precision scales, and the mandoline ... also on the list is the cocotte made by Staub, which, like Le Creuset cookware, is underestimated today and considered unfashionable, but actually allows you to prepare a wide variety of delicious dishes.

Readers of my articles know how persistently I convince everyone of the advantages of low-temperature meat processing, because this method preserves meat juiciness. Now I will say something that clearly contradicts my previous statements.

Cooking meat is a very complex and delicate process. Low-temperature processing yields the best results in tenderness, but it has disadvantages: this method cannot achieve a roasted flavor and crispy crust. And because all juices remain in the meat, there is nothing left to make sauce from. In the restaurant, we solved this problem by preparing all meat sauces separately, from pieces processed at normal temperature. At home, unfortunately, this is impossible, so we have to compromise, which is what the cocotte allows — a thick-walled pot with a lid for roasting and braising.

Essentially, the cooking process in a cocotte involves thermal processing of meat, fish, vegetables, or fruits under a tightly closed lid, so that all aromatic vapors are preserved and form the basis of a wonderful sauce. I bake pork tenderloin in a cocotte with remarkable results. The same result can be achieved using a rotary attachment."

Changing the Preparation Algorithm

Changing the algorithm for preparing pre-cooked items in a restaurant can yield significant savings and efficiency gains.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Most vacuum sealers are equipped with a function for connecting inert gas.

The technology of packaging food in a modified atmosphere emerged as a development of vacuum technology. Vacuum packaging — as one of the achievements of packaging technology — was unable to solve a number of significant problems associated with storing perishable products in an airless environment.

Mechanical deformation of the product leads not only to disruption of texture but also, due to the walls of the multi-layer barrier film material, to the release of moisture and juices. As a result, the product loses part of its vitamin complex and forms a liquid medium that promotes cell breakdown and aging. This is critical for juicy fresh meat products and fresh vegetables.

The Problem with Anaerobes

The second problem with vacuum is anaerobes and their harmful effects on many food groups. Anaerobes are organisms capable of living and developing in the absence of free oxygen, obtaining energy through the breakdown of organic and inorganic substances. Anaerobes include the causative agents of tetanus, gas gangrene, and some streptococci.

If these microbes were already present in the product before vacuuming, they begin to multiply intensively in the airless space. Although the vegetative forms of these microorganisms die in an oxygen environment, their spores are resistant and survive in vacuum. Any temperature fluctuation during storage can trigger their growth.

Botulism — an acute infectious-toxic disease caused by anaerobic bacteria and their toxins — is characterized by severe damage to cranial nerves. The causative agent is Clostridium botulinum. Infection occurs through meat, fish, vegetable and fruit preserves, and canned mushrooms that have not been properly processed and sterilized.

The third problem associated with vacuuming perishable products is changes in their taste. Moisture release inside the vacuum package leads to product dehydration and altered flavor properties.

The Science of Modified Atmosphere

As early as the 17th century, it was observed that carbon dioxide (CO₂) released by living organisms is an excellent preservative — a kind of embalming gas. At the same time, CO₂ is completely harmless to humans and is a natural component of the atmosphere.

In the early 1930s, scientists seriously addressed the issue of modifying the gas composition of the atmosphere. The appearance of the first industrial vacuum pumps significantly contributed to this process. Through extensive experimental research, it was proven that carbon dioxide has a preservative effect on the growth of microorganisms on the product surface resulting from natural contamination.

The first gas stations were used in the brewing and oil-and-fat industries. For example, all vegetable oil sold in PET bottles is gassed with nitrogen to prevent rancidity, and CO₂ cylinders connected to beer towers can be seen in any bar or restaurant today.

Gas Functions in Modified Atmosphere Packaging

The essence of the atmosphere modification process in containers or packaging is as follows.

Nitrogen (N₂) — an inert gas — is used as a diluent of the mixture, as a means of displacing oxygen from the package. Nitrogen is poorly soluble in water and fats, has no direct bacteriostatic effect, and does not directly affect the stability of the packaged product. Its use allows the most complete removal of residual oxygen, thus limiting the development of aerobic bacteria.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) — typically used at a concentration of approximately 20% in the mixture — performs the function of a bacteriostatic component of the gas mixture, restraining and suppressing the growth of aerobic bacteria and mold that can develop even in the absence of oxygen. In contrast to nitrogen, CO₂ readily dissolves in water and fats. The presence of CO₂ in products with higher water content increases their acidity and thereby extends shelf life.

Oxygen (O₂) — On one hand, oxygen is the culprit of oxidation and rancidity of fats, and product spoilage from aerobic bacteria. On the other hand, it is necessary to preserve the bright red color of beef, which consumers associate with freshness. In gas mixtures for fresh meat packaging, O₂ content can reach up to 80%.

The use of gas composition suppresses the growth of microorganisms on the food product surface, maintains microflora at the required level, preserves original taste, aromatic, and other properties for a certain period, regulates oxygen release from the product and oxygen penetration through the packaging, and significantly increases product shelf life without changing its quality.

Practical Guidelines for Modified Atmosphere Packaging

The lower the pH of the product, the less the gas environment affects shelf life. This occurs because reduced pH slows microbial growth. In this case, the limiting factor is not bacterial growth but chemical reactions such as oxidation and color change.

For unpackaged sliced meat products, maximum shelf life is several days. Traditional packaging for such products is vacuum, with a shelf life of 14 to 21 days. However, the negative aspects of vacuum packaging include moisture release from the product and the effect of sliced pieces sticking together.

Both problems can be solved by packaging in a modified atmosphere. One of the biggest advantages of such packaging is preventing moisture release from the product and, accordingly, preserving the product's appearance.

Critical Temperature Requirements

Sometimes restaurateurs have a misconception that with gas packaging, it is not necessary to store the product at low temperature. In reality, the opposite is true.

When packaging fresh products in a modified atmosphere, constantly low temperature is essential. The effect of carbon dioxide increases as temperature decreases because it is better absorbed by the product. Carbon dioxide best inhibits bacterial growth at 0°C; at +5°C, these properties are noticeably reduced.

For example, there is no point in packaging fresh fish or meat in a modified atmosphere if the storage temperature exceeds +2°C. For prepared products, this is less critical, but storage temperature should still not exceed +5–+6°C.

Benefits of Vacuum Barrier Packaging

A vacuum barrier bag allows you to improve product marinating through increased pressure, protect the product from microbiological growth, increase product shelf life to 5 days without adding preservatives, cook the product in the vacuum bag preserving its juices and nutritional composition unchanged, free up storage space in the refrigerator and avoid violations of product adjacency requirements, reduce kitchen staff by up to 50%, and save up to $2,300 per month, which amounts to up to $28,000 per year.

Energy Star and Certification Programs

In the United States, the Energy Star program certifies equipment manufacturers as program participants.

An independent Food Science Center conducts research analyzing the energy consumption of steamers and combi-ovens, grills, ovens, cooktops and fryers, and dishwashers and hot-holding units.

No restaurateur in the United States will purchase a single piece of equipment without verifying that the heating element system will save them money.

For details, visit www.restaurant.org.

Innovative Engineering Approaches

Innovative approaches in the design of ventilation, air conditioning, heating, and water supply systems allow savings of up to 40% on utility bills during future facility operation.

At www.fishnick.com, all technical engineering concepts for designing smart restaurants are presented.

Golden Rules When Opening a New Restaurant

When selecting process equipment, pay attention to its energy consumption. Remember that a steamer consumes 40% less electricity than a combi-oven and 30% less water. Low-temperature cooking saves up to 30% of electricity. Accelerated cooking (convection plus microwave) is the fastest method of boiling, frying, and braising.

Up to 10% of electricity for a stewing cooktop is spent reaching the set temperature. Another 15% of energy goes to the exhaust hood after the dish is cooked and the cooktop begins to cool.

Induction heating is the most economical.

Ventilation hoods must be installed correctly — this saves up to 30% of kitchen ventilation electricity.

Replace the emergency light bulb with a 20-watt bulb — saves approximately $75 per year.

Switch off stand-by and night mode options on equipment when not in use.

Guaranteed Results

Following all recommendations in this program will guarantee savings of up to 40% of electricity, water, and heat consumption in your restaurant.