I have a confession: I almost missed the hidden sabotage that’s quietly draining thousands from restaurant energy bills every month.
I have worked on really complex and mega large copper, titanium, iron and platinum processing plants and smelters and saved $400 million in energy management over the past 10 years..
Like all good energy managers I installed a 27 channel meter to monitor the kitchen… and I must confess I was arrogant, I thought kitchens were simple and I didn’t use my normal heavy energy engineering approach, I went straight for what seemed obvious based on the data.
I developed the business case for my energy management solution, secured the funding and implemented.
So I falsely assumed that to develop a restaurant energy management solution can’t be that hard. Kitchens are simple, right…
To my embarrassment and shock, the energy savings forecast didn’t eventuate.
Wrong… OMG…
Kitchen operations are so so complex….
Here is what I realised; my own arrogance betrayed me.
So I went back to what I know worked and had proven in large mining operations, to secure world best practice and profitable energy management to reveal where the waste is – I had to understand what the Energy Services are in Restaurants.
Energy Services – what is an Energy Service???
Energy Services are the helpful things that the consumption of energy provides the chef, kitchen staff and Maître d’ to deliver the meals and guest experience at a restaurant.
Energy Services are the outcomes delivered to the restaurant that the consumption of energy provides.
For example, a dishwasher energy services is to pre-wash, wash, disinfect, and dry the cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils. Energy use is then assessed based on the delivery of these services.
Now let me assess the energy needs, constraints and limitations to deliver the Energy Services
On the Dishwasher Case the ;
Pre-wash
- on the items in the dishwasher to dislodge and first pass clean
- a pump spray (a required volume gallons [litres]/second)
- a direct electric element produces hot water with detergent (>55oC above the minimum temperature where bacteria can survive)
- for a set period of minimum period of time (60 seconds)
Wash
- on the items in the dishwasher to dislodge and clean
- spray (a required volume gallons [litres]/second)
- a direct electric element produces hot water (>65oC)
- detergent (the volume required to dissolve accumulated grease, oil and food remains)
- for a set period of minimum period of time (120 seconds)
Rinse and Dry
- to disinfect, rinse of any detergent and allow the plate to air dry.
- spray clean water (a required volume gallons [litres]/second)
- a direct electric element produces high temperature hot water (>85oC) on the items in the dishwasher (this water then falls into the Pre-wash tank)
- for a set period of minimum period of time (30 seconds)
What is the a annual energy use and energy cost at 15 cents/kWh for a dishwasher over the year:
- Pump = 9,450kWh and $1,418
- Hot Water= 88,000kWh and $13,200
- Dishwasher = 97,450kWh and $14,618
What would world best practice product, utilising Least Cost Energy Design
- Pump = 9,450kWh and $1,418
- Hot Water= 22,000kWh and $3,300
- Dishwasher = 31,450kWh and $4,718
Annual cost energy savings $9,900 or 68% world best practice.
Energy efficiency isn’t a “green nice-to-have”—it’s one of the fastest paths to lower costs, higher margins, resilience, and actually hitting sustainability goals without massive capex overhauls.
I’ve seen redeployment of existing assets (pull from one site, optimize, reinstall where it delivers more) create serious wins. Results speak louder than slides.
Restaurant Owners, Operations Directors, Managing Partners and Directors “What’s the a key energy service you’ve seen in your restaurant? Drop it below 👇
Next Part 3/5, Restaurant Energy Modelling: Mirror Your Bills Today to Predict (and Slash) Tomorrow’s Costs
#EnergyEfficiency #Sustainability #BusinessGrowth #Hospitality #EnergyManagement #NetZero
