Foodservice Operators and Water Conservation: Saving Money Drop by Drop

Often overlooked, saving water represents an opportunity for foodservice operators to lower the overhead and participate in the green movement.

By Amelia Levin, Sr. Associate Editor -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 2/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

“Water is the next oil.”

That's a powerful statement, one made by Rod Collins, principal of Rod Collins Associates. Just like oil, when it comes to water conversation it's not unusual for foodservice operators and other professionals to turn a blind eye toward the topic. Certainly, in Midwestern-Great Lakes and Eastern regions of the United States, water has and continues to be a plentiful resource, with no signs of a shortage in sight but that could change as other regions begin to “borrow” that resource. In California, Arizona and other Western states, and now even the Southeast with Georgia suffering a monstrous drought last summer, water conservation couldn't be a bigger deal.

“If more people view water like they view oil, perspectives and attitudes will change,” Collins says. Perhaps it's not at the forefront of our minds because, Collins says, “There's not a meter on a dishwasher like there's a meter on an oil pump, where you can see how much you're spending. The same thing that got us to quit driving bigger cars, will also get us to look at water conservation more closely.”

Collins' view is not at all out in left field, as evident by a design guide on efficient water heating, delivery and end use soon-to-be-published by the thinkers at the Food Service Technology Center in San Ramon, Calif. Project Engineer Amin Delagah authored the report.

The report indicated a shocking increase in water prices during just the last four years, according to results from a water cost survey conducted by NUS Consulting Group. While the cost of water use has risen steadily, from about $1.80 per cubic foot (ccf) in 2004 to $2/ccf in 2008, the cost of sewage has risen dramatically, from slightly more than $2/ccf in 2004 to more than $3/ccf in 2008 (see Chart 1). That has resulted in a total water cost increase from about $4.14 to about $5.30 in just four years, according to the report. That's an average yearly increase of about $0.30, or 6 percent.

“As water becomes more and more of a commodity, the cost is going to continue to rise, and that is something foodservice operators have to pay attention to,” says Richard Young, director of education for the Food Service Technology Center.

“This increase is partially exacerbated by persistent drought conditions across the United States causing a decline in our freshwater resources,” the draft guideline said. This is a particular concern for California, which has experienced significant droughts in recent years, the guide said. “With double-digit percentage increases in water and sewer costs in most major cities in California over the last year, the water bill can no longer remain transparent in the operating costs of foodservice establishments. If you are planning on building or renovating a restaurant in cities like San Diego or San Francisco, reducing hot water use is even more beneficial to your bottom line as rates hover in the $8 to $9/ccf range.”

Water use has a direct effect on energy consumption, both on a macro and micro level, according to Chris Moyer, manager of Conserve, a web site run by the National Restaurant Association with information on resource-saving tips. “There may be states with regular sources now for water, but as water resources become limited elsewhere, you have to push and pull that water around,” Moyer says. “It takes 17 percent of the country's energy to do that, and, according to the EPA, 56 billion of kilowatt hours of energy to also treat and pump that water through sewage systems.”

On a micro level, within a particular operation it takes energy to heat, treat and remove water. “For a restaurant owner, this means that a larger portion of the revenue each year will be needed to pay for utility costs associated with the water heating system,” according to the FSTC design guide. “This is further compounded by the increases in food supplies, electricity and in the case of full-service restaurants, a decrease in revenue caused by the looming recession.” (See Chart 2.)

Aside from escalating water usage prices, the cost of water removal also poses a price concern. “Even if the cost of water stays around $2, the cost of sewage is climbing at a rapid rate, and that can catch operators really off-guard,” Young says. “There is a prevailing notion that water is cheap, but many operators don't even look at the water bill. How many really know how much they're paying?”

Another concern that's led to higher costs for water treatment is the steady decline of water quality. “If the water table continues to drop as it has due to droughts, meaning when water is depleted and you start pulling in more of those elements found at the bottom of the lake, that affects taste, quality and color of the water,” according to Collins. “Then you have to pay to treat it so you can use it. It also has an effect on lime scale buildup on equipment.”

So the question is, what are the critical steps operators can take, and other foodservice professionals can advise them to take, in order to save water, and the costs associated with it?

Fix leaky faucets and drain pipes.

This is a no-brainer. In fact, Moyer counts leaky faucet fixing as one of the no- or low-cost steps operators can take to save thousands on their water bills.

“Studies show if a leaky faucet drips per second, that could add up to 3,000 gallons of water waste in one year,” Moyer says. “A leaky toilet can lose up to 200 gallons in one day. These are things we can absolutely prevent.”

According to the FSTC design guide, a small leak of 0.2 gallons per minute can waste 100,000 gallons and $1,840 a year in water, sewer and gas costs.

Also, Young encourages checking for leaks around the pressure relief valves on water heaters, a common source for leakage that can go unnoticed.

Offer water to guests, don't just give.

Some may see this as a questionable tactic. Interfering with potential guest satisfaction is a risk the operator must take in implementing this step. At the same time, many restaurants are beginning to use better water treatment systems to offer purified still and sparkling tap water to their customers tableside instead of purchasing bottled water or simply using the tap.

But in Western and desert states, withholding water until requested is becoming a more common practice. Either way, Moyer says, the savings are huge, and implementing this virtually costs nothing. “Every drop of water that comes out of the tap, you pay that,” he says. “You also pay to treat that water, and then there are labor and chemicals associated with just cleaning the glass.”

Install pre-rinse spray valves and aerators.

Another easy fix, Moyer and Young say. “The Food Service Technology Center recommends a pre-rinse spray valve with a flow rate of 1.6 gallons per minute (gpm) or less,” Young says. This rate is in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that required spray valves to meet the American Society for Testing and Materials standard. Prior to that, spray valves could use up to 4 gallons per minute, according to Young. “That's comes at a cost of $400 per day,” Young says, assuming water costs $2 per minute, a sewer cost of 3.0 gpm and a gas cost of $1 per minute to heat the water (see Chart 3).

The FSTC has a calculator on its web site where users can plug in the flow rate and hours of usage per day to determine daily and annual costs, assuming these water, sewage and heating costs.

Lower-flow spray valves perform at a remarkably more efficient rate, compared to older standards. “The newer, low-flow models are showing the same performance as the older ones, but using less water,” Young says. “So, they're getting smarter and smarter.” In fact, one of the newest models uses only 0.64 gpm, better than most valves that consume 45 percent to 60 percent more hot water, according to the FSTC design guide (see Chart 4).

The way these pre-rinse spray valves accomplish this is through intensified pressure. “The latest version entrains air in with the water, almost like an aerator, but for the spray-valve,” Young says.

As far as low-flow spray valves go, Moyer adds, “that may be a $75 investment, but depending on how much water you use, you can save thousands of dollars in water costs.”

Aerators also reduce water usage by creating pressure in sink faucets with air instead of water to reduce the amount of water needed to flow through. They do this by encircling water droplets with air bubbles. Aerators usually have their flow rates in gpm etched on the side.

“Many operators and designers are still unaware of the federal standard requiring 0.5-gpm aerators for faucets in non-residential applications, which include kitchen and bathroom hand sinks in restaurants,” according to the FSTC design guide. This would save a restaurant with four bathroom sinks and four kitchen hand sinks more than $4,800 per year, simply by replacing typical 2.2-gpm aerators with federally mandated ones.

“Aerators are cheap, and the cost savings are great,” Young adds. “But it's a sensibility thing. They're great for hand sinks, but you wouldn't necessarily put them on a pot sink when you need to fill up a pot for water in a hurry.”

That's due to the fact that, Moyer says, aerators aren't going to change the way you wash your hands because they don't compromise food safety or other aspects of operation; they're a reasonable, inexpensive purchase. In standardized aerator tests, although the lowest flow aerator increased the handwashing time slightly when rinsing the soap off hands, the tool saved 87 percent in hot water, total over the course of a day, according to the FSTC guide.

Opt for low-flow urinals and toilets.

There has been some significant debate about low-flow and no-flow, or waterless, urinals in commercial operations, Young says. Waterless urinals may not use any water to operate, but they do come at a labor and maintenance price.

Typically, these systems require regular, daily cleaning, and they often require treatment with mineral oil or a similar substance to assist with natural “flushing.”

But is waterless totally necessary? When it comes to toilets, manufacturers produce high-efficiency toilets, ones that use added pressure to operate with less water, at 1.6 gallons per flush, which is ultra-low, Young says. Others perform at as little as 1.1 gallon per flush. “In foodservice that's a big deal because a lot of operators did not convert in the '90s to low-flow toilets when they were first introduced, so many of them still have toilets with the previous 3.5-gallon-standard,” Young says. “I think the attitude is, it's just a toilet, so who cares. But think about the number of times customers use that during the day. Let's say there are 100 uses in a day just per unit, you start adding up the water costs and find that high-efficiency toilets pay for themselves very quickly.”

These days, too, high-efficiency toilets seem to perform at better rates, with less clogging or problems, and some states offer rebates for purchasing them. Plumbing concerns seem to be the main reason operators with high-volume usage may remain leary of installing these toilets. Again, like aerators, it's a judgment call, Moyer says.

Choose & properly maintain energy-efficient dishwashers.

“Think about how many gallons of water are used each time you run the dishwasher, and calculate the gallons per rack,” Young says. “In addition, dishwashers drive energy and chemical use.”

Foodservice operators can choose from a number of energy-efficient dishwashers. Regardless of whether these units have an Energy Star-rating, they still introduce opportunities to save. Some machines only use a little less than a gallon per rack. Either way, operators need to make sure to fill the racks completely each time they use the warewasher. “If you eliminate 30 rack loads out of 300 racks washed per day, this would yield a savings of $750 annually,” according to the FSTC.

Energy costs are also a consideration for warewashers. High-temperature warewashers have a built-in burner or other system to keep the water in the tank at about 180°F. Low-temperature washers save energy costs because they use the hot water supplied by the kitchen's existing water heater, at 140°F. If using a high-temp machine, the FSTC recommends turning off the heater at night to save excess costs, and for both units, filling each rack to its fullest to save both energy and water usage costs.

Also, if using a high-temperature dishmachine, turn off the exhaust hood, tank heater and booster heater when the kitchen is non-functional for a total savings of more than $800 annually, according to the FSTC. This figure was estimated at a rate of $0.13 per kilowatt per hour.

But it's not always necessary to install a dishwasher in an operation. “Some quick-serve restaurants where staff members are mainly just cleaning spatulas and pans may not need dishmachines, and instead an undercounter dishwasher might make more sense,” Young says. The other consideration is a three-compartment sink, but sometimes even those can use more water if they're filled and refilled often.

According to Moyer, this was an easy decision for Snappy Salads, a small, quick-serve chain in Dallas. The company decided to use a three-compartment sink instead of a conventional dishwasher because of the limited menu of salads and minimal dishware as a result. That, in addition to using low-flow spray valves, aerators, and low-flow toilets with infrared sensors in bathrooms at the front of the house, Snappy Salads has cut its water use in half, Moyer says.

Essentially, Moyer says, “there isn't a one-size-fits-all equipment. You need to do your homework based on your menu, how much you clean, your volume. Energy Star has added dishwashers to its roster of products and that helps draw some attention, but operators still need to look at all the products out there, and fact sheets and do their due diligence.”

Use re-circulating scrappers for high-volume applications.

This is a lesser-known application, Young says, but a great one for high-volume applications such as colleges/universities, hospital cafeterias, correctional facilities and others. The equipment uses pressurized, running water like a waterfall to pre-rinse dishes in an assembly-line setup before they enter a warewasher. Staff members hold the dishes at hip level while the water pours down and scrapes food and residue off the plates, Young says. Many operators with cafeteria setups and larger dishrooms use the system to cut down on the need for additional staff members to manually pre-rinse dishes with a spray valve, while speeding up the flow of dishes to be washed.

But the most important benefit to re-circulating scrappers is that they ultimately use less water because all the water used to pre-rinse the dishes goes into a trough and is then re-circulated for more pre-rinsing. “You're not using more than a pre-rinse spray valve, which releases about 1.6 gallons of water a minute, and staff members can have both of their hands free,” Young says. “That allows them to be able to throw larger food scraps into compost bins or pulpers as the dishes go through the scrapper.”

Seek out disposals with controls.

Conventional disposals, Young says, “can run up to 14 gallons of water in one use. Some also run a lot of water continuously to keep the equipment lubricated.”

Some manufacturers, however, offer disposals with controls so operators can slow the water down when the unit's not in use, Young says. “That can easily drop down the water use to 7 gallons instead of 14.”

Some operators opt to not install disposals at all, and instead use pulpers and composting systems. “There are some jurisdictions where it's more difficult to get rid of solid food waste than it is sewage because of the high cost of treating the water, and in some cases, disposals are outlawed,” Young says. “But in areas like Manhattan where there is a limited ability to landfill, it's easier to grind up food and send it down the drain into the sewers.

“There's no black and white answer” when it comes to these issues and their interplay with water conservation, Young says. Ultimately, the operators must decide what works best for their operation if they're interested in reducing costs associated with water use and waste.

Invest in connectionless steamers and combi ovens.

Now that steamers and ice machines have been added to the list of Energy Star-rated equipment, foodservice operators can get rebates for purchasing these more energy-efficient and water-saving units. But there are also a host of energy-efficient steamers and ice machines in addition to ones that have the Energy Star designation.

Traditional steamers have long been high-water use pieces of equipment, using a separate boiler or steam generator to produce steam for the cooking cabin. After steam circulates throughout to heat the food, the excess steam leaves through a drain where cold water lowers the temperature of the steam-water to 160°F., in accordance with most plumbing codes, according to a best practices in water use report published by FSTC in February 2005. As a result, a typical 6-pan steamer that uses such a boiler can consume between 30 to 40 gallons of water an hour, or 175,000 gallons per year with heavy use, according to FSTC.

By simply using a steamer with timed controls, such as those that shut down the condensing process when the steamer enters stand-by mode, this can result in a savings of $1,200 for heavy-duty operations, the report said.

For another water- and cost-saving application, boilerless steamers, also referred to as “connectionless” steamers, help reduce the amount of water required because there is no continuous flow of excess steam leaving the cooking cavity, thereby requiring no additional water to cool down the waste before it enters the pipes. This is because steam is generated by a heated reservoir and manually added water, and all the excess goes back into the reservoir after circulating through the cooking cavity, for recircled use.

According to the FSTC report, a connectionless steamer can save $174,500 gallons per year, a savings of $1,200 per year for each unit.

Boilerless combi ovens operate in a manner similar to connectionless steamers, generating steam by spraying a mist of water on heat exchangers throughout cooking times. This design requires less water to maintain humidity as well as less cooling water. According to the report, a 10-pan boilerless combi consumes 10 to 15 gallons per hour while operating at the highest steam level, which translates into a savings of 110,000 gallons per year compared to a traditional, boiler-style combi.

Consider flake or nugget ice machines.

Flakers and nugget ice machines are naturally lower in water use because they create ice more similar to an ice tray like in one's home freezer, Young says. Typical cube ice machines run water over an evaporator to create the ice, and then after the cubes come loose due to heat, more water is flushed over the evaporator tray to purge minerals and other buildup.

While cube ice machines can use up to 40 gallons of water to produce 100 gallons of ice, nugget and flake ice machines can go as low as 12 gallons, Young says.

The drawback to flakers and nugget ice machines, however, is that the minerals naturally found in hard tap water don't get purged, but are instead frozen into the ice. Flakers use an auger that constantly turns and scrapes ice off of freezing water within the machine, while nugget ice is simply frozen solid water droplets that tend to be cloudier due to hard minerals and impurities freezing at the center of the ice.

“That could be acceptable for a movie theater or slushy machine, but maybe not for a cocktail bar,” Young says. “It's up to the operator to decide.”

Water-cooled ice machines and soft-serve ice cream machines, in particular, use water-cooled condensers, which require a continuous stream of cold water that is subsequently dumped down the sewer drain, according to the FSTC. An air-cooled machine, compared to a water-cooled one, may use slightly more energy but unless the condenser is in a hot environment over 100°F. the difference is insignificant, about 4kwh per day for an 800-pound machine, according to the report. The savings in water costs are significant, however, at 1,300 gallons per day, or $3,200 per year.

Consider pasta cookers, Chinese ranges and equipment using water-cooled condensers carefully.

According to the FSTC report, these two pieces of equipment are especially energy- and water-intensive and should be eyed with care when purchasing. Pasta cookers frequently feature either an automatic water fill, or they may have a water tap attached to the appliance for filling the vat. Most pasta cookers have a simmer mode at 190°F. to 200°F., “but since the thermostat cannot be satisfied during a full rolling boil, the burners or elements are energized continuously and the appliance's energy and water consumption can be quite high,” the report said. Instead, maintaining a simmer state rather than a full boil will stave off increased water lost due to evaporation and have minimal effect on product cook times, it said.

As far as Chinese ranges, or woks, these units use a constant stream of water, between 1 gpm and 6 gpm, to cool the top of the range due to intense heat, according to the report. However, ranges with sufficient insulation do not require the additional cooling provided by the water flow, thus reducing the typical amount of between 100 and 500 gallons of fresh water per day.

Go “trayless” if you're a college or university.

“Trayless dining has been making its rounds at colleges and universities around the country,” Young says. “There's a notion that if you give people a try and have an all-you-can-eat-system, they pile on too much food,” Young says. “If you have to make another trip back to the food stations, you tend to eat closer to your appetite, which means less waste and less washing.”

Use high-pressure nozzles on hot water hoses, or better yet, use water brooms.

The hose is a friend to many foodservice operators looking to quickly and thoroughly clean out a kitchen at the close of the day. Hoses are also used to clean mats, sidewalks, parking lots and sometimes walls.

“It's the end of the day, 11:30 at night and water usage suddenly goes through the roof with someone cranking up a water hose and washing mats and floors,” Young says. “I've also seen the hose sitting on the floor next to the drain with the water turned on and streaming out. That's literally money down the drain. The hot water hose can run a lot of water, so a simple fix is fitting high-pressure nozzles to the end of the hose.”

These nozzles make traditional hoses much more effective at cleaning while also dramatically reducing the amount of water used.

Better yet, water brooms are an even more efficient cleaning tool compared to hoses even with high-pressure nozzles, Young says. According to the FSTC report, these devices also use a high-pressure spray for effective cleaning, but consume about half the water of a hose with a nozzle because there is no run-off.

Conclusion

With such a multitude of options, all at relatively low-cost and low-effort to foodservice operators, Moyer says he's confident more of them will jump onboard with water conservation goals, if they haven't already.

With the right tools, information and resources, foodservice operators can stay on top of the information out there needed to make small changes that result in greater operational efficiencies and potentially alleviate pressure on operating costs.

In order to save on costs of water use for landscaping and work toward LEED certification, Chipotle Mexican Grill installed a rainwater cistern at its stand-alone location in Gurnee, Ill. Rainwater funnels in through the roof to the cistern where an irrigation system pumps the water out to sprinkle the landscaping.

To read more tips for conserving water, check outFE&S' exclusive web seriescovering areas of this "green" topic not featured here.

	Hot Water Use (Gal/Day)	Hot Water Use (Gal/Year)	Temp Rise (ºF.)	System Efficiency	Facility Gas Use (Therms/Yr)	Facility Gas Cost	Water Sewer Cost	Annual Utility Cost
Quick Service	500	182,500	65	70%	1,400	$1,800	$1,500	$3,300
Full Service	2,000	730,000	75	65%	7,000	$9,100	$5,900	$15,000
Source: Food Service Technology Center

Spray Valve Usage Hr/Day	Water Savings Gal/Day	Waste Water Savings Gal/Day	Gas Savings Therms/Day	Annual Dollar Savings ($)
Chart shows results based on spray valve water savings of 1 gallon per minute, water cost of $2 per unit (748 gallons), sewer cost of $3 per unit (748 gallons), and gas cost of $1 per therm. Source: conserve.restaurant.org
1	60	60	0.5	300-350
2	120	120	1.0	600-700
3	180	180	1.5	900-1,105

Chipotle LEEDs the Way to Water Conservation

As part of the four LEED projects Chipotle is working on, “water conservation absolutely falls into one of our tenants of sustainability,” says Scott Shippey, director of design for the company. Two of those projects have included pursuit of LEED recognition for interior Chipotle stores located in separate lifestyle centers already seeking LEED certification.

However, Chipotle's other two endeavors, both LEED-certified for retail stores, one in Gurnee, Ill., and the other in Minnetonka, Minn., introduced unique opportunities for the chain to explore sustainable options for design and equipment, in addition to its established reputation for sourcing food from sustainable ranches and farms.

That included three main areas of focus, Shippey says: energy efficiency, waste efficiency and water efficiency. In addition, Chipotle was able to share some of the lessons learned from the Gurnee and Minnetonka projects with the U.S. Green Building Council, to better suit its LEED for retail program to foodservice operations, not just office-like spaces, Shippey says.

In terms of water-saving efforts, the Chipotle store in Gurnee accomplished two different goals. First, the store uses water-saving-specific technology and tools in both the front and back of the house. This Chipotle unit also features a fresh water-saving irrigation system that uses a cistern to capture rainwater for use in irrigating the landscaping.

“Operators can receive one credit for being 20 percent better than the baseline for water usage, and two credits for being 30 percent better,” Shippey says. “We ended up coming in 40 percent better than the baseline, and we did that with what is readily available technology and fixtures.”

Those fixtures included low-flow toilets and faucets and low-flow urinals for the men's restroom that require only a pint of water to flush, as well as a low-flow, pre-rinse spray valve at the four-compartment sink in the back of the house. “We also installed motion-activated faucets to save water,” Shippey says. “A lot of tools are out there and the cost for them is pretty negligible. But the savings in water are very significant, that was a bit of a surprise to us.”

In addition, landscaping was an area for environmental improvement but without a hindrance to water usage and costs. “We did the minimum amount of parking code required in order to have more vegetative land on-site, instead of more asphalt,” Shippey says. “But in doing that we decided to try to mitigate our need for potable water to irrigate all that landscaping.”

So, the team worked to source plants that were native to northwestern Illinois, and which were also more drought-tolerant than other species. “We also took that one step further and installed a 25-gallon underground cistern on the site that collects all the rainwater from the roof,” Shippey says. “A pump forces the water from the cistern to an irrigation system to water the landscaping. We actually use zero water from the city in order to irrigate our landscaping.”

It's too soon to determine the cost savings associated with the cistern system, and certainly it was a larger investment, as part of a broader site experiment, Shippey says. But he's confident the water cost savings will play out in years to come.

“Just looking at the Southeast and seeing the drought they had last summer is a sign that the use of water is only going to become more costly and a more important resource in the future,” he says. “Already, water is taxed heavily, and that will only continue to increase.”

The Gurnee store, for which development plans were instituted two years ago, opened in the fall of 2008. “At this point, we're in the throws of LEED documentation.”