The catering equipment suppliers association (CESA) recently published a buying guide for 2009. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be posting some of the information from the guide, starting with this energy efficiency article…
Manufacturers are developing ever more energy efficient equipment, and at the same time they are looking at ways their designs can save on the use of other resources such as water.
However, it’s not always necessary to buy new models to save energy – there are plenty of ways to minimise the consumption of resources on the catering equipment already installed in the kitchens.
- Shut it: keep doors on fridges, ovens and other appliances shut as much as possible. This will mean they use less
energy to maintain their temperature. Also check on door gaskets – a worn or damaged gasket means the seal in compromised, so the equipment will use more power than it should. - Fill it: alwaystry to use each piece of equipment’s full capacit, whether it be a refrigeration cabinet, a cooker or a dishwasher. Running these half empty is a waste of resources.
- Switch it off: if it doesn’t need to be on, turn it off. This is especially true of cooking ranges – leaving gas or electric hobs on when no cooking is being done simply burns cash.
- Look after it: any catering equipment needs looking after properly. If they are neglected or abused, they’ll be less efficient. For example, glass and dishwashers need to be descaled – if limescale builds up on elements, they will need more power to heat the water. Similarly, dirty ovens need more power than clean ones – the heat has to get through the grime before it can start it’s main purpose of cooking!
Follow basic resource-saving practices and, as well as saving your running costs, you’ll lengthen the life of your equipment.
See the December issue of Eat Out magazine for more details.
