6 Climate Friendly Changes Restaurants Can Make

We asked our Field Engineering Technician to outline 6 changes restaurants can make to ensure that they’re more climate friendly and run efficiently.

How do programmable thermostats help restaurants run more efficiently?
AC units at a restaurant are generally designed to bring in outdoor air to replace air that is being exhausted through kitchen hoods. The fans in these units should always run during an occupied period. Thermostats call this “fan on mode.” This mode keeps the supply fan moving air into the building whether the unit is getting a call for heat, cooling, dehumidification, or none of the above. During unoccupied periods, fans are set to auto mode. This is helpful for the restaurant manager, so they do not have to remember every day to change the fan settings – they already have a lot to do! By allowing the fan to go to auto, energy savings are achieved when the hoods are off and building pressure is not a concern. 
 
If you find your exterior doors are hard to open, or you notice drafts of outdoor air into the building when they’re open, check your fan settings. This is also a way that can indicate if you’re ready for an overall re-balance.
 
How can you make your hoods run more efficiently?
Hood manufacturers recommend cleaning and degreasing hood filters at least every other day. Daily cleaning has its benefits. Failure to degrease hood filters regularly can cause grease to build up and solidify resulting in restrictions to air flow. Hoods can also be purchased with scheduling options. That way, you can customize the fan run times to your restaurant and not have to worry about remembering to turn the hood off at the end of the day. Some hoods also have variable air flow options that automatically increase the fan speed when more heat is sensed on the cook tops. This allows you some savings at times when cooking slows down.

We recommend rebalancing stores every 3 years (at minimum) – what happens if you wait longer than 3 years or don’t rebalance at all?
It’s inevitable that set points change through the years. Perhaps a general HVAC maintenance contractor will change something on the unit. Maybe a component on the unit will break down. Maybe a duct has detached and is cooling your ceiling space leaving your kitchen warm. None of these are unusual but can impact your overall restaurant efficiency if not addressed over time. That’s why we recommend rebalancing stores every 2-3 years so we can identify these issues and find the ones that you may not have even noticed. If we can’t resolve it while on site, we will bring the issues to your attention, and recommend actions to take.

How do maintenance and cleanliness impact restaurant efficiency?
Public buildings, like restaurants, tend to get dirty quickly. You clean the floor, the tables, the dishes, but what about your HVAC systems? Look up at your grilles. Chances are they’re a little dusty. Don’t feel bad – it happens quickly. Over time, this dust can cause issues to your AC unit’s cooling coil if the filters are not maintained. Build up on that coil can cause low air flow, a reduction in cooling efficiency, and even a bad smell when the unit first turns on. It’s important to maintain and keep your units clean to prevent any of these discrepancies from happening.

How often should equipment be replaced? What are signs to look for that indicate it should be replaced?
Units are built modularly, so if one component fails, you don’t have to replace the whole thing. Look for fan motors that are slow to start or that make grinding noises when they operate. Keep an eye out for compressors that are abnormally loud during operation or that won’t operate at all. Corroded coils are also common and need to be replaced. Eventually, it does become advantageous to replace the whole unit. Don’t forget to get it balanced when you do!