15 January 2010
How to Make Your Restaurant More “Green”
Posted by Crystal under: News .
According to NRA Conserve, an environmental initiative organization, energy costs have been steadily increasing at an astonishing rate of 6 to 8 percent per year. The same organization reports that restaurants use 5 times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings, and restaurant’s kitchen uses 5 times more energy than the rest of the restaurant’s premises. Not surprisingly, there is a trend to reduce energy expenses, while at the same time promoting environmentally friendly practices.
Of course, most restaurants are small businesses that have limitations on what they can do. However, a restaurant does not need to make big bold moves like some bigger chains do. Many basic initiatives are enough to make a significant difference in reducing CO2 emissions, conserving water, decreasing energy consumption and, ultimately, saving money:
Turn Off the Lights. Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you don’t need them. To make this task more automatic, set up motion sensors in your storage rooms so that you don’t leave lights on all the time. Another option is to set up lights on timers. That way, you will easily save thousands of dollars annually in electric bills.
Energy-Saving Lighting. Replace your existing incandescent light bulbs with more efficient LED lights or CFL light bulbs. Consider replacing any other light fixtures, such as traditional exit signs, with LED lighting.
Stop Air Leaks. To conserve even more electric and heat energy, make sure your windows and doors are properly insulated and consider installing energy curtains in freezer room.
Water Conservation. Make sure dish-washer machines are full before you run them. Turn off the water when you don’t need it. Did you know that running a water faucet for five minutes uses nearly as much energy as running a 60-watt light bulb for 14 hours? Consider using foot pedals when using water in the sink: that will ensure water doesn’t just run when you don’t need it. Also, fix leaky faucets and leaky toilets, and make sure faucets or toilets are not dripping. A leaky faucet dripping one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year. A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water a day.
Use Low-Flush Toilets. Make sure your restaurant’s toilets are low-gallons per flash. Keep in mind that a standard toilet uses as much as 4.5 gallons per flush, while low-flush toilets use around 1.6 gallons per flush.
Energy-Efficient Equipment. Consider purchasing only those appliances or large pieces of equipment that carry the Energy Star label or are otherwise EPA-tested, such as high efficiency fryers, broilers, menu boards, and so on. Remember that regularly cleaning and servicing your equipment makes it more energy efficient and that routine maintenance prevents a lot of waste. Also, unplug equipment, such as computers, electronics, POS systems or any other appliances, when not in use.
Recycle. Make it a policy for your restaurant employees to recycle paper, plastics, glass, cardboard, aluminum. Recycling doesn’t cost you anything, yet if such mindset is adopted, you make a significant contribution to conserve land (including landfills), reduce air and water pollution, save energy and natural resources.
Energy Tax Deductions. Several federal tax deductions are available to the owners of commercial buildings that save at least 50% of the heating and cooling energy as measured by an established standard. There are also additional tax deductions for some green measures that affect any of these building systems: lighting, heating and cooling, or the building envelope.
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