Commercial Kitchens
Dalhousie University
Case Study
With the financial support:
Commercial Kitchens – How it started
• Proposed project to students in Campus as a Living
Laboratory course – (Jan. – April 2011)
• How much energy and water is used in one Dal
kitchen?
Power (kW)
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
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Answer
• A lot of energy and water is used in kitchens.
• Everything is much larger than a home kitchen, staff
are cooking long hours, and for a lot of people.
SUB - Kitchen Energy Consumption
Series1
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Kitchens & Dining Hall – Sustainability target area
• Due to the volume of food production, commercialsized foodservice facilities are more energy and wateruse intensive than office and classroom spaces. In
addition, foodservices utilize large quantities of food
and material inputs and impact waste diversion rates of
these resources.
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Commercial Kitchen Project: 2011-2013
Basic
equipment
auditing
(Nov 2011March
2012)
Honors
Thesis –
Kitchen
Employee
Sustainabili
ty
Behaviours
(Sept. 2012March
2013)
Provincial
-Wide
Workshop
(April
2012)
Consultant’
s Report
(Nov. 2011
– Feb. 2012
Detailed
equipment audit
and refrigerator
compressors
(May 2012March 2013)
Major
kitchen
upgrade
(Jan
2012 –
ongoing)
Installing of
ENERGY STAR
equipment
(Aug 2012 –
ongoing)
Developing a
kitchen
education
program, more
upgrades and
equipment,
ventilation
designs (Jan
2012 – ongoing)
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Commercial Kitchen Workshop and Kitchen walks
Auditing
• We have eight commercial kitchens and a number of
smaller food serving areas!
• Consultant’s report – high level recommendations - no
detail equipment audits.
• There are hundreds of pieces of equipment
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Method
1. Reviewed existing information such as ENERGY
STAR® Guide for Commercial Kitchens and Food
Services Technology Centre – Self Site Survey
2. Worked with Dal Food Services to create an inventory
sheet with all equipment
3. Expanded inventory sheet to include other information
from tools such as ENERGY STAR® calculator
Method
4. Created an audit sheet for student auditors
5. Metered older equipment that had no published
energy data – used watt meter, Watt’s UP power
meter, and fluke 1750 meter
6. Created a detailed report with findings, GHG
emissions, energy, and costs savings
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Findings
• No speed drives on hoods, no metal sides, and some equipment
outside the hoods – impacting ventilation and creating noise
• Some low-flow pre-rinse but others not
• Old equipment in some areas –fryers, ice machines,
refrigeration
• Many old Walk-in fridge/freezer fan motors/compressors
• Dishwasher and pre-rinse station – older
• Leaky taps
• Frost build up – door insulation strip – needed fixing
• Opportunity to switch to natural gas
• Behavioural opportunities
• Redesign opportunity
• Lighting upgrade potential, timers in walk-ins
• Waste bin arrangement, education, and signs opportunities
Immediate Actions
• Replaced old Bakers
Oven with new ENERGY
STAR ovens – Projected
20% energy savings
• Replaced older
dishwasher with new
ENERGY STAR
dishwasher
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Actions
• Completed auditing report, thesis, refrigeration audit
• Major retrofit of largest kitchen to address all
recommendations include major investment in new
equipment from fryers, to fridges, ovens, …
Actions
• Follow-up audits to confirm work is done is resulting in
need for more education and regular preventative
maintenance checks. – Low flow pre-rinse head was
initially leaking.
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Conclusion
Costs
• Studies and student auditing
• Thesis work
• Time
Benefits
• $ cost, GHG, energy, waste
and water savings identified
– kitchen equipment, water,
lighting, walk-in fridgefreezer compressors/motors,
VSD for hoods and metal
siding, waste management,
pre-rinse station water, water
leaks, water left on, flow
heads
• Sustainability leadership
• Education – Team building
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Next Steps
• Finish developing education program with Food
Services.
• Preventative maintenance checks for kitchens – every
two months by utility service staff.
• Finish ventilation study designs (outside contractor).
• Finance more equipment and other kitchen system
upgrades. $300,000 In ENERGY STAR kitchen
equipment invested this year.
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