Dear Restaurateurs,

Minimising your energy usage saves your business money, helps the planet and generally is an all-around great thing to do.

At Victor, we have been wholeheartedly committed to helping our dear customers reduce their energy usage for 70 years and we’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Having amassed a wealth of energy saving know-how we thought it would be helpful to share what we’ve learned. So here you have it:

7 Energy saving tips for restaurants

Energy Saving Tip #1Training staff can cut your catering energy use by up to 30%.

Invest a little time in training your people using some of the simple ideas below.

Turn off kitchen extraction when not in use.

Only switch on equipment when necessary instead of switching on all equipment at the start of the shift.

Turn fridges off after hours if they store only ambient products.

When pans are brought to the boil, turn hobs down to the minimum to simmer (boiling does not speed up the cooking process).

Avoid over-filling saucepans and kettles.

Use lids and covers to retain heat and steam.

Energy Saving Tip #2Promote a healthy service and clean regime.

Regular checks and cleaning of your kitchen and servery equipment can drastically reduce your ongoing energy costs.

They also lengthen the lifetime of equipment and are important for maintaining food safety and hygiene standards so its a win/win/win.

Be sure that heating elements, burners, thermostats, seals and switches are all in working order.

Equipment should be frequently cleaned to remove food deposits, scaling and corrosion which directly reduce heat transfer.

Energy Saving Tip #3Purchase equipment with running costs in mind

The running costs of equipment far outweigh the buying price in the medium to long-term. It truly pays to invest in energy efficient and effective equipment as demonstrated in this case study sourced from the Carbon Trust.

“A catering operation cleaned their diffusers and reflectors and replaced all their 38mm fluorescent tubes with slimline 26mm tubes. This enabled it to reduce the number of lamps used by 25% whilst still achieving the same light output. The capital cost of refurbishment was £900, but it provided ongoing savings of more than £2,000 per year.”

Victor was awarded a Carbon Trust accreditation for our Optimax range. It’s the first of its kind to be granted Carbon Trust approval and to be included on the ECA Energy Technology List. The patent-protected design, developed by our clever engineers, minimises the loss of chilled air from the cabinet, effectively trapping the cold air, which continues to circulate in the lower half of the display unit, meaning less energy is used to continually supply cool air. Energy saving efficiency and performance is Victors Forte.

Energy Saving Tip #4Select equipment with enhanced controls

We specify electronic controls with a temperature display to ensure that the correct temperature is maintained. we can’t manage what we can’t measure so our customers find it helpful to make use of the temperature gauge when operating your catering equipment. We also integrate timer setting controls on many of our products to automate and simplify the process altogether. Smart thinking, we think so.

Energy Saving Tip #5Turn Down the Thermostat

There’s no need to have diners shivering, but a 1°C decrease in temperature will go unnoticed and could save you 7% on your energy bills. Fitting thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) in the kitchen will reduce the heat output from radiators as the kitchen fills with heat from food preparation activities. You may then have the ability to turn off the heat in the kitchen altogether whilst maintaining the right temperature for your diners. just a thought!

Energy Saving Tip #6Avoid opening oven doorsUsing the viewing window to check on food may seem an obvious trick but this is usually not the case. Using the display panel instead of opening the oven continuously will reduce the heat loss incurred throughout the day clocking up your bills throughout the year. following this little tip will reduce the power consumption of your ovens and also minimise cooking times, another Win/Win.

Energy Saving Tip #7Use Time-SwitchesLast but not least, install and Check time switches for your equipment so that heating times match the building being used. Another one of our Simple, yet effective energy saving tips for restaurants.

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Good luck with your energy saving endeavours.

All the very best,

www.victoronline.co.uk