Burlington Electric Department

Burlington Electric Department

Burlington Electric Department

Commercial Kitchens

Commercial Kitchens

Businesses with kitchens such as restaurants, bars, and institutions with foodservice facilities have several large sources of electricity consumption that result in high bills. Learn how purchasing decisions, equipment controls, and behavioral changes can help your bottom line by reducing demand charges and daily energy use.

Considering retrofitting your kitchen hood or adding makeup air to your HVAC system? Contact us today to chat about your custom project.

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Table of contents

Refrigeration

Refrigeration equipment is one of the largest sources of electricity consumption and peak demand for many commercial foodservice facilities. If you need tips about how to save money by reducing energy use from your refrigeration equipment, read more about ways to save at our Commercial Refrigeration page.

Commercial Refrigeration

Reducing Commercial Kitchen Energy Usage

 

  • Save right away by replacing and/or recycling used and legacy kitchen equipment. Used equipment may seem attractive as it may be less expensive, but life cycle costs for second-hand equipment can be surprisingly high.
    • Older ranges, ovens, and cooking equipment may not be ENERGY STAR rated, which contributes to higher bills.
    • Older kitchen hood equipment often does not have temperature-based controls and might not offer tempered makeup air. Interlocked temperature controls and tempered makeup air for kitchen hoods can improve comfort and reduce energy usage for your kitchen.
    • Older equipment often uses more power when it cycles on, leading to higher demand charges on your electric bill if you are on BED’s Large General (LG) rate.
  • Turn off electric cooking appliances like fryers, ovens, griddles, sandwich presses, food holding cabinets when not in use.
  • Ensure pans match the size of your burners and have flat bottoms and tight-fitting lids.
  • Run full loads in your dishwashers to save energy and water and lower your bills.
  • Minimize use of the electric booster heater in your dishwasher by selecting lower temperature drying options.
  • A more efficient water heater allows your dishwasher to work less hard. Learn how to improve the efficiency of your existing water heater here.
  • The amount of energy your dishwasher consumes during the washing cycle is dependent on the temperature setting of your water heater. If you lower the temperature setting of your water heater to save energy, you may work your dishwasher harder.
  • Consider the time of day when you run the dishwasher; in summer, you will save on air conditioning if you wait to run the dishwasher until nighttime, when your business has less of a cooling load.
  • If you have a kitchen hood, turn off kitchen exhaust (and makeup air if you have it) when food is not being cooked.

Discounted New Commercial Kitchen Equipment

Instant Discounts on Commercial Energy Star and California EnergyWise Appliances

BED Energy Services is launching a new program on June 15 to offer our commercial customers several new instant discounts that can make upgrading kitchen equipment even less expensive:

  • Get instant discounts on efficient electric cooking equipment at participating distributors when you purchase qualifying products.
  • Contact the BED Energy Services team to get free technical advice and understand how your bill might change when you install a new efficient electric appliance.

EnergyStarElectric ENERGY STAR-certified appliances supported:

Participating distributors:

Green Stimulus

Green StimulusAs part of BED’s Green Stimulus, BED Energy Services can offer our commercial customers several new services that can make upgrading kitchen equipment even less expensive:

  • On-bill financing with zero interest loans on energy efficiency projects with neutral or positive cash flow on day one.
  • Increased incentive dollars for custom energy savings projects like kitchen equipment retrofits and motor controls projects.

Green Stimulus for Commercial

Purchasing High Performance Commercial Kitchen Equipment

BED is here to help you purchase new and efficient kitchen equipment by offering a variety of instant discounts, and custom financial incentive programs for your business.

Contact the BED Energy Services team to get help for your specific project.

Participating distributors:

Cooking Equipment

Cooking can account for 25 – 35% of the energy consumption of restaurants and foodservice businesses. Learn more about selecting the right cooking equipment for your commercial kitchen on the U.S. Department of Energy website.

Cooktops/Ranges

When purchasing a new cooktop or range, consider purchasing an induction model to receive a rebate from BED. By electrifying your cooking, your business plays a part in Burlington’s transition to Net Zero Energy, and our call for a reduction in, and eventual elimination of, fossil fuels.

There are many benefits to induction cooking, including immediate heat response, accurate temperature control, nearly twice as fast water heating compared to gas or standard electric with greater energy efficiency. Since its surface is completely sealed, there’s no exposed heating element or open flame, and it is easier to clean. Your kitchen stays cooler and less heat is wasted, since the cooktop’s heat is focused on the pan.

  • Burlingtonians receive up to $150 cash back when you purchase a new >30” induction cooktop for your business (one rebate per commercial account) to replace your gas range.
  • Both standalone cooktops and ranges with built-in induction cooktops are eligible.

REBATE: Induction Cooktops

Purchasing Tips

  • Not all cookware is compatible with an induction cooktop. You can test whether a piece of cookware is compatible by placing a refrigerator magnet on it. If it sticks, it’s compatible.
  • A 220 volt outlet is required. If one is not already behind the stove then you will need to hire an electrician to install one.
  • Although induction cooking is more efficient at turning energy into heated food than natural gas, the lower price of natural gas means that a typical commercial customer can expect to spend $10 – 20 more heating food per year.

Ovens

When buying a new oven, look for an ENERGY STAR-certified model. Equipped with advanced features that boost food production and energy efficiency, choosing an electric ENERGY STAR-certified commercial oven can pay back on day one, and year over year. Commercial combination ovens can save you $730 a year, and convection ovens can save you $70 a year.

  • Receive instant discounts of up to $3,500 when you purchase a new qualifying commercial oven equipment for your business to replace your electric oven through participating distributors.
    • Full Rack: $3,500 (qualifying products from ENERGY Star or CA Energy Wise)
    • Convection: $500 (full size units only, no half size units)
    • Conveyor: $1,000-$3,000 (qualifying products from ENERGY Star or CA Energy Wise)
    • Combination: $1,000
  • Both standalone ovens and ranges with built-in ovens are eligible.
  • Eligibility notes

Fryers

When buying a new commercial electric fryer, look for an ENERGY STAR-certified model. Equipped with advanced features that boost food production and energy efficiency, choosing an electric ENERGY STAR-certified commercial fryer can pay back on day one, and year over year. ENERGY STAR commercial fryers with standard size frypots can save you $245 a year, and fryers with large vat frypots can save you $180 a year.

  • Receive instant discounts of up to $750 when you purchase a new qualifying commercial fryer equipment for your business through participating distributors.
  • Fryers with both standard and large vat frypots are eligible.

Griddles

When buying a new commercial electric griddle, look for an ENERGY STAR-certified model. Equipped with advanced features that boost food production and energy efficiency, choosing an electric ENERGY STAR-certified commercial griddle can pay back on day one, and year over year. ENERGY STAR commercial griddles can save you $130 a year.

  • Receive instant discounts of up to $350 when you purchase a new qualifying commercial griddles for your business through participating distributors.

Hot Food Holding Cabinets

When buying a new hot food holding cabinet (HFHC), look for an ENERGY STAR-certified model. Equipped with advanced features that boost food production and energy efficiency, choosing an electric ENERGY STAR-certified commercial hot food holding cabinets can pay back on day one, and year over year. ENERGY STAR commercial HFHCs can save you $310 a year.

  • Receive instant discounts of $200 – $1,000 when you purchase a new qualifying commercial HFHCs for your business through participating distributors.
  • Discounts are based on cabinet capacity.

Dishwashing

Dishwashing can account for 15 – 20% of the energy usage of restaurants and foodservice businesses. Learn more about selecting the right dishwashing equipment for your commercial kitchen on the U.S. Department of Energy website.

When buying a new dishwasher, look for an ENERGY STAR-certified model. Equipped with advanced features that boost efficiency and cleaning performance, ENERGY STAR-certified dishwashers can cut water usage by 15% and energy consumption by 5% – 55%; you’ll save closer to the high end of the range if you’re replacing an older machine. Dishwashers designated as Most Efficient deliver increased energy savings.

Read yellow EnergyGuide labels to understand potential operating costs and compare efficiencies and annual costs of different machines. Size your dishwasher appropriately for your business. Select a model with several wash cycle options so you can choose a light or energy-saving wash cycle when your loads are lighter or less soiled.

  • Receive instant discounts of up to $1,000 when you purchase a new qualifying commercial dishwashers for your business through participating distributors.
    • Under-counter: $250
    • Stationary Single Tan w/ Door: $750
    • Pot, Pan & Utensil Washer: $750
    • Single Tank Conveyor: $1,000
  • Eligibility notes

Kitchen Hoods

Kitchen hoods can be a large source of electricity usage your business if you have one, and if it is older or a model without temperature controls or tempered makeup air. Replacing the components of your kitchen hood with new energy-efficient equipment featuring enhanced controls capabilities can help you reduce your bills, improve equipment performance, and enhance employee comfort.

Custom Projects

To get started with a custom project, contact the BED Energy Services team, to get free technical advice and estimated custom financial incentives for energy efficiency projects such as:

  • Adding interlocked temperature controls to automatically shut off your hood
  • Installing tempered makeup air to reduce energy usage and improve comfort

Resources