Saving Energy in the Hospitality Sector

Posted on 3rd October 2022

How to reduce your energy consumption

The Kitchen Energy Plan (KEP)
The Building Energy Cost Indicator (BECI)
Building Energy Audits
Saving Sheets
CHP
Combined Heat & Power (CHP)
Our Services

Reducing your energy consumption

Most establishments have commercial kitchens and these can have large utility consumptions. It therefore makes sense to review the savings that can be made in this area.

Bad habits to look out for:

Gas burners left on when not in use – Check grills
Deep fat fryers switched on early and left on
Dishwashers not being used at capacity
Taps left running
Lights on in storage areas
Plate warmers

However, if they don’t know the cost, why should they care!

The Kitchen Energy Plan

The Kitchen Energy Plan identifies the high energy cost equipment’s using a simple traffic light
system:

Red – High energy cost (> £2.50/hr to operate) and high carbon emissions

Yellow – Medium energy cost (> £1.00/hr < £2.50/hr to operate) and medium carbon emissions

Green – Low energy cost (> £0.01/hr < £1.00/hr to operate) and low carbon emissions

Look for the kWh rating of the equipment and multiply by your gas and electricity prices.

Building Signage

Energy saving signage is one of the easiest ways of reminding staff to be energy conscious. However,
most of them consist of stickers that are placed on the wall near to the On/Off switch.

Why not affix the stickers to a white piece of card and place into a holder that can be fitted in place. That
way the signs remain fresh and can be changed on a regular basis to avoid the message becoming stale.
The problem with this is that they become worn, or painted over and more importantly; they are ignored
after about a month in location!

Signage in public places – Not always possible, but an area that can benefit are lifts and elevators. For
instance:
“If you walk up to the first floor instead of taking the lift, you will burn off 5 calories and save us 10 grams
of CO2 – Its also healthier too!”

Building Energy Audits

The energy auditor would attend the premises to audit the buildings energy performance, points should
include:

Data correlation of the sites energy usage including any on-site fuels and/or renewables.
Analysis of energy consumption and calculation of significant energy use.
Assess, quantify and benchmark significant energy consumption across site(s) and identify an appropriate baseline to measure energy performance.
Carry out day/night audit of building and identify energy saving opportunities.
Provide full audit report detailing findings, energy saving measures & strategies, cost analysis & payback period of investment in newer equipment and identification of possible legislation that may offer energy saving grants.

Saving Sheets

Sometimes the most important thing about the energy audit is the follow up.
It’s alright attending site and telling them that by switching things off, turning things down they will save
money; sometimes more practical methods can be far more helpful.

By noting what equipment’s they have on site, we have compiled some helpful tips on how to achieve
energy savings in the form of single sheet handouts.
For example; heating and hot water:

Check Points

Avoid overheating space or water – check thermostats and controls.
Check time switches so heating times match building occupancy.
Check radiators and heat emitters are free from obstructions.
Check pipes are insulated, especially in unheated spaces.
Check how your hot water is generated in summer; avoid using large boilers for small loads.

Action Points

Is water heated to the right temperature?
Hot water for catering and washing should be heated to 60-65°C to avoid Legionella, but no higher to reduce excessive heat loss.
Check the lagging of hot water storage tanks and calorifiers and reset or improve thermostat control.
Is your water heated locally?
Large buildings may have hot water storage heated by the heating mains; in summer great economies are possible using a local heat source such as a small boiler or electric immersion heater.
Do you check space heating controls and air conditioning temperatures regularly?
Good practice suggested temperatures are 16°C for warehousing, 16-18°C for light manufacturing and 21°C for offices.

CHP

What is Combined Heat & Power (CHP)?

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) which is also known as Co-generation is the most fuel efficient way of generating electricity and heat (hot water) from a single fuel source (normally natural gas) in a single machine (the CHP unit).

CHP is effectively a self contained power station and boiler combined into a single machine using a single fuel.

CHP Energy Supply

In buildings WITH CHP :

Less Fuel For Same Energy Demand = Energy Efficiency
Less Carbon Dioxide = More Environmentally Beneficial

How is CHP beneficial?

The electricity it generates is exempt from CCL (Note that the mains supply is still there if required
without any switching)
The gas used by the CHP is exempt from CCL if registered with the CHPQA Programme
The heat supplied would otherwise have had to come from the boilers (Note that the boilers are still there to provide heat if required)
Reduced wear and tear of boiler plant

Our Services

BUILDING ENERGY AUDITING

Data correlation of the sites energy usage (assumes copies of the buildings utility bills are forwarded to 2EA Consulting prior to site audit). Includes correlation of any on-site fuels and/or renewables.
Analysis of energy consumption and calculation of significant energy use.
Assess, quantify and benchmark significant energy consumption across site(s) and identify an appropriate baseline to measure energy performance.
Carry out audits of building(s) and identify energy saving opportunities.
Provide full audit report detailing findings, energy saving measures & strategies, cost analysis & payback period of investment in newer equipment and identification of possible legislation that may offer energy saving grants.
2EA Consulting will provide consultancy services to client with regards to these works.

CCL/CHPQA MANAGEMENT PACKAGE

Data correlation for annual submission (assumes copies of the site gas and electricity bills, along with CHP meter readings, will be forwarded to 2EA on a monthly basis).
Completion of the annual online CHPQA submission (assumes log-on details are provided to 2EA).
Completion of annual HMRC documentation, inclusive of forms PP10 and PP11 for site.
Provide the client with an annual reconciliation report for HMRC for site.
A monthly CHP Savings Report, detailing CHP performance, site gas consumption, site gas cost and actual CHP savings, inclusive of climate change levy will be provided.
2EA will provide consultancy services to client with regards to CCL issues.

HEAT METER VERIFICATION

Attend site and carry out non-invasive heat meter verification procedure, checking:
Accuracy of the flow meter
Accuracy of the temperature probes
Accuracy of the heat integrator
Identification of faults and recommendations for improvements
Issue of Heat Meter Verification Certificate