Electrical Equipment Repair

Energy consumption, particularly the use of electricity, is colossal in commercial kitchens. A study on electricity usage in commercial kitchens showed the average daily use of electricity for commercial kitchens was 294.4 kWh. Being able to break down energy use by appliance, however, is one useful way of understanding how much electricity your kitchen uses, and even how you could improve energy efficiency.

The biggest consumer of energy in your commercial kitchen is demonstrated time and again to be the walk-in freezer and/or other refrigeration appliances, closely followed by the grill. It is understandable refrigeration takes this title because these appliances need to be running continuously; refrigeration and grill similarly demand a generous amount of power to produce the heat or cold necessary for maintaining the desired temperature of the appliance.

How you could save energy in your commercial kitchen is the next logical question, after examining how much energy is consumed by a kitchen. There are plenty of small, everyday activities you can do within your commercial kitchen to become more energy efficient.

Cleaning and maintaining kitchen equipment are key to ensuring energy efficiency – this includes cleaning out filters and ventilation, along with internal surfaces of cooking equipment, so they don’t have to work as hard to heat up. Maintenance checks of equipment, such as making sure the seals and gaskets are working efficiently, should be carried out regularly.

Investing in energy-efficient, modern equipment like a combi-oven or energy-saving light bulbs can help cut your electrical costs. When buying new equipment, purchase with the energy costs in mind – a cheaper, less effective oven may cost more in the long run.

Switching off your commercial kitchen equipment, lighting, and heating, or turning them down when not in use, are effective ways of lowering your energy bills and becoming more environmentally friendly. Turning equipment down between busy periods can get your equipment back up to optimum temperature quicker and easier compared to turning it off completely.

Reminding, or even retraining staff, to stick to these key energy-saving habits will ensure your kitchen is functioning in the most efficient way.

Recently, many commercial kitchens have begun switching to electric appliances – raising the question, to what extent can commercial kitchens go electric?

One reason commercial kitchens are going electric is that electric appliances are more cost-effective than their gas equivalent; electric appliances cost much less than gas to buy (an electric oven costs about a quarter of the price of a gas oven). Electric appliances are also much lighter than gas, which makes it easier for the kitchen employees to install and move around themselves. Using electric appliances also reduces the risk of fire and burns in any commercial kitchen by eliminating open flames and hot burners on gas stoves.

The environmental benefits of switching to electric kitchen appliances are moreover notable. Electric cooking stove tops emit no pollutants into the air and use around 20% less energy than gas ones do. This is advantageous in a cooking space that may use outdated energy sources such as coal or oil.

However, there are still some issues when looking to make your commercial kitchen go electric. Firstly, the price of installing an electric system in a commercial kitchen can be very high, which can act as a deterrent. Furthermore, it takes longer for electric ovens and stovetops to warm up, meaning your appliances are running for longer; in the same vein, electric appliances are more expensive to run than gas overall.

Despite this, these issues are becoming less and less common as time progresses and technology improves and becomes cheaper. We may just see a future where the need for gas is extinguished from commercial kitchens.