Designing a commercial kitchen that’s easy on the environment — and the wallet — can feel like a daunting task. However, with a little planning and a long-term vision, you can produce beautiful, sustainable and eco-friendly designs that actually save you money. Here are five budget-friendly ways to infuse a little green into your next kitchen design.
1. Lead with LED
Move over Tommy Edison; there’s a new bulb in town. Thanks to the growing popularity of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), you no longer need to rely on inefficient incandescent bulbs to light your beautifully designed spaces. By paying a bit more on the front end, you can save in the long run with lower utility bills and fewer bulb replacements. In fact, a high-quality LED light uses about 25%-80% less energy and last 25 times longer than a traditional incandescent. It doesn’t take a light-bulb moment to realize that LED is the way to go!
2. Practice daylighting
By strategically positioning windows, skylights, openings and reflective surfaces throughout your kitchen and adjacent dining spaces, you can cut energy consumption by 30% or more. Just remember that more light isn’t always better. A comprehensive daylighting strategy (especially for a kitchen) often relies on diffused natural light and takes into account factors like solar heat gain, glare, shadows, building orientation and more.
3. Go for eco-friendly looks
Of course, you want your kitchen appliances and equipment to look beautiful and fit with the vibe of your design. However, if you’re after a green-friendly space, you also need to look beyond the stainless steel finishes and touchscreens to understand how eco-friendly your equipment is. Start by checking the Energy Star® ratings. Energy Star is a government-backed symbol that can help you identify efficient equipment options that, come utility-bill time, will translate to big savings.
3. Don’t shy away from symbols and inserts
Making a sale is all about highlighting the best of what you have to offer. For this reason, you may want to consider inserts to showcase your specials or best-selling dishes — doing so can immediately draw attention to certain items on your menu that you want to sell. If you don’t want to use inserts, consider utilizing special symbols throughout your menu to grab the attention of customers.
4. Position with care
Figuring out where to put your equipment in your kitchen design is a critical piece of the eco-puzzle. You want to consider all variables that could cause a unit to work harder than necessary to reach or maintain a certain temperature. For example, distance heat-producing equipment like grills away from refrigerated units and drafty doors or air ducts to avoid a temperature battle. Also, if you’re using self-service equipment like heated display cabinets, make sure operators and customers can easily access them. Otherwise, you might end up with doors being left open for longer than needed.
5. Trust in Hatco
Turn to Hatco for the quality, eco-friendly equipment that will help you outsmart your utility bill every time. For example, take advantage of:
- Induction solutions that use 85%-95% of the energy they generate.
- Insulated drawer warmers with efficient zone heating.
- Toasters and zoned merchandisers that conserve energy by only turning on when product is present.
- Intelligent Toast-Qwik® conveyor toasters with a power save mode that uses 50%-60% less energy.
- Beautiful decorative heat lamps with durable, lasting LED bulbs.
- Hot and cold wells with high-quality insulation that keeps foods at optimal temperatures while saving energy costs.
- With a power save mode.
To learn more about Hatco’s commitment to sustainability and all of the ways we are reducing waste, saving energy, minimizing our carbon footprint, and putting money in your pocket, talk to a knowledgeable Hatco rep today!
