Green Foodservice: Efficient Equipment Selection & Design
The notion of "green" design is a popular one today and many foodservice professionals have their own ideas about what this really means.
By Kathleen Seelye, Guest Author -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 12/1/2006
 Kathleen Seelye, FFCSI Partner and President of Foodservice Design Ricca Newmark Design New York City |
The notion of “green” design is a popular one today and many foodservice professionals have their own ideas about what this really means. At Ricca Newmark Design, we define green or sustainable foodservice design as, “meeting the production and service needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
When foodservice operators think about energy efficiency, perhaps the most recognizable symbol of sustainable practices and environmental consciousness is the ENERGY STAR® certification program created by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy (EPA and DOE). The contributions of this program include:
• Promotion of energy-efficient foodservice operations and energy-use education for channel partners and end-users
• Assurance that certified products are at least 20 percent more efficient than the average models in their respective categories, creating a high return on investment
• ENERGY STAR-recognized products with life-cycle savings such as 83 percent for certified steamers, 51 percent for fryers and a whopping 137 percent for hot-holding cabinets, all paying back the operator in less than two-and-a-half years
• The development of ENERGY STAR online tools to help end-users and specifiers calculate various types of energy savings and source utility rebates available with the purchase of certified foodservice equipment
• Recognition for industry organizations that engage in sustainable practices.
While looking for the ENERGY STAR label, it is also important to understand other opportunities where specifiers and end-users can evaluate the “greenest” types of kitchen equipment.
With fryers, for instance, it is important to select models that maintain average temperatures that cycle closer to real cooking temperature needs, reducing both cooking and recovery times. To most effectively use these cycles, operators should fry full, rather than partial, loads and can create this opportunity by purchasing a mix of fryer capacities that meet day-part demands. Operators can gain other fryer efficiencies by using only highefficiency burners or even the newer technology heat transfer systems that require up to 20 percent less oil and cook at lower temperatures to extend oil life. These fryers have a significantly higher variation in efficiency levels and can range from 30 percent to 60 percent more efficient than more traditional units based on the model selected. While gas fryers are more often purchased, electric fryers still transfer heat more efficiently. That is because electric fryers do not lose heat through flues required by gas fryers and transfer heat directly from the elements immersed in the oil.
“When foodservice operators think about energy efficiency, perhaps the most recognizable symbol of sustainable practices and environmental consciousness is the ENERGY STAR® certification program.” |
Additionally, as an extension of fryer category opportunities that could better support environmental operations, we are seeking out manufacturers to develop equipment that can be used to transfer and process oil safely for applications in alternative “waste to energy” power sources such as bio-diesel fuel programs.
Much like fryers, electric griddles are often considered more energy efficient as they, too, operate without gas flues that result in energy loss. However, selecting griddles with highly efficient infrared gas burners, rather than more common atmospheric combustion burners, may actually reduce energy costs due to varying utility rates in different parts of the country. End-users and specifiers should always specify griddles with thermostatic controls and hooded or dual-plate griddles that reduce both cook times and heat loss during idle times. Such dual-surface units also reduce the linear requirements and, therefore, additional ventilation costs.
While many operators prefer the simplest, most basic pieces of foodservice equipment, rapidly changing technology makes us rethink already efficient equipment such as multi-use combi oven/steamers. Through the addition of smart kitchen technology, some combi controllers can now determine the specific cooking necessities of many menu items, including their total load requirements, allowing cooking temperatures to cycle efficiently and either hold or shut down as programmed. Other new-technology ovens use a combination of microwave and forced-air convection systems to lower energy consumption by reducing cooking and baking times by 70 percent or more. Additionally, some of these hybrid ovens use catalytic converters to eliminate grease particles and, therefore, the need for ventilation systems.
On the other hand, during the past 10 years or so, the simplified technology of the boilerless connection steamer has become the standard in energy-efficient kitchens. The reason for this revolution is the reduction in both water consumption and energy use by as much as eight-times compared to traditional boiler-based models. For kettles, the application of building steam to power them is often the most cost-effective and greenest practice. Despite this, continued research and development of thermal fluids may indicate a potentially more rapid and reusable heat source that could ultimately change the dynamics of kettle heat transfer in the future. For today, however, the least expensive conservation device for all kettle varieties is the specification and use of basic hinged lids to reduce heat gain to the kitchen and provide more efficient cooking processes.
High-energy-use charbroilers are very often a showpiece in the exhibition kitchens found in so many foodservice operations today, yet most models use less than 20 percent of their energy for actual food production. As they also produce the highest demand for ventilation capacity, especially in “island” configurations, this equipment is often the largest cause of energy consumption in professional kitchens. Therefore, the selection of charbroilers for efficiency, size and location, can and will greatly affect overall kitchen operating costs.
Due to these charbroiler inefficiencies and a sustainable building’s focus on air quality and low-emission working environments, end-users and specifiers may wish to consider omitting a charbroiler in favor of a grooved or flat griddle. If a charbroiler is essential to a program’s success, however, a green approach might include a design where the unit could be viewed (albeit less easily) just from the side(s), yet provide for the significantly greater efficiency of a wall-mounted exhaust hood, for both its grease-capturing ability and greater energy efficiency.
“To find out more about green facilities and programs, industry members can seek out third-party resources such as local utility companies, performance testing kitchens, and independent FCSI foodservice consultants.” |
Because commercial kitchen ventilation (CKV) consumes by far the largest amount of energy in any foodservice facility, a concentrated effort to select the appropriate hood type, location and CFM requirements will significantly reduce energy use in the kitchen, both in exhaust and supply air expenses. However, strict use of manufacturers’ UL-listed ratings to demonstrate “greenness” will not yield the real-world results of a commercial kitchen and should be carefully gauged against ASHRAE standards. While CFM numbers are an important variable, engineers should also be encouraged to use variable- speed controllers coupled with heat- and smoke-sensing devices that can improve efficiency up to 50 percent, with annual savings of $1,500 to $3,000 per hood.
For the operator’s ongoing benefit, we look to the evolution of automated air-flow monitors, including ventilation sensors in exhaust hoods that convey a drop or rise of CFM from a fan’s specified performance levels. We believe that these sensors would have the greatest ability to add long-term efficiencies to total ventilation systems.
From a green perspective, it is encouraging to see refrigeration manufacturers shifting to greater use of “natural” refrigerants, such as CO2, or hybrids, to replace conventional synthetic chemicals that are now causing global warming and ozone depletion. In addition, much like the adoption of scroll compressors that have been widely deployed to replace traditional reciprocating compressors in the dairy industry, refrigeration manufacturers will be ready to upgrade existing walk-in cooler compressors in the million-plus walk-ins found throughout U.S. foodservice facilities and also to introduce scroll compressors in new installations, reducing consumption by as much as 20 percent. Besides creating energy savings, scroll compressors reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to greenhouse gases. On a smaller, but also important scale, a recent advancement toward sustainability was introduced through the use of self-cleaning condensers, recognizing that dirty coils can increase energy use in excess of 15 percent.
In the warewashing category, newly developed infrared burners that heat tank water to 1,600ºF. or more to reduce fuel consumption, are creating energy savings of up to 70 percent over traditional gas or electric heating systems. Placing an emphasis on water savings, several new conveyor and flight-type dishmachines are cutting rinse consumption by up to 50 percent compared to traditional units. Much of this technology is based on low- and high-pressure water patterns, velocity and heat retention. Yet another highly “green” manufacturer is not only concentrating on both energy and water savings, but also on waste air heat recovery.
“Other than the purchase of energy-efficient equipment and the application of green design practices, operators and specifiers can most effectively influence manufacturers by urging them to recognize the manifold benefits of regular or preventative maintenance contracts as extensions of their existing parts-and-labor warranties.” |
When considering the water usage of disposers vs. collectors, one only needs to look at the comparison of 7-14 GPM for disposers and 2 GPM for collectors. What’s more, the ability to reuse food waste to support local farm, composting or alternative energy source partnerships is increasingly becoming a determining factor in an operator’s purchasing decision. With a food-waste system based around collectors or pulpers, operators have the option of transferring “assumed waste” into recycled or commercially developed compost products, such as vermicomposting.
As these product-based examples demonstrate, the move to sustainable foodservice design and operations is well on its way to transforming how end-users and specifiers evaluate and select kitchen equipment packages. To find out more about green facilities and programs, industry members can seek out third-party resources such as local utility companies, performance testing kitchens, and independent FCSI foodservice consultants. E&S channel members are now much more able to assist operators in the evaluation of equipment purchases not just on initial capital investment, but on the estimated life-cycle costs, which includes multiple energy, maintenance and point-of-manufacturing factors. These “cradle to grave” cost estimates can help end-users minimize the long-term cost of equipment ownership. In addition, operators and specifiers should also consider taking advantage of the growing number of rebates offered by utility companies (which can be found through internet rebate locators), as well as private/public sustainability initiatives that support the replacement of older equipment with new, more efficient models.
Lastly, as an industry, we must help facilitate recognition by our manufacturing community of the need for enhanced preventative maintenance programs. Other than the purchase of energy-efficient equipment and the application of green design practices, operators and specifiers can most effectively influence manufacturers by urging them to recognize the manifold benefits of regular or preventative maintenance contracts as extensions of their existing parts-and-labor warranties. If regular service provided by factory- trained personnel was the norm, participating manufacturers would enhance their brand reputation with products that performed more reliably and efficiently by using 20 percent to 30 percent less energy than those left without regular service. A strategic partnership between NAFEM and CFESA to address this opportunity would lessen the negative environmental impact of our entire industry. As operators, specifiers, distributors and reps, we can support the need for both after-sale services and manufacturing processes that go beyond geo-political boundaries in support of the Kyoto Protocol and our generations to come.
In Part 2 of this article we will explore the “Front of House” public areas where green efficiencies in serving equipment, lighting, signage, counter finishes, recycled materials, and furniture can support the fast-paced move toward environmentally friendly product selection.
