Energy Efficient Commercial Cooking

Cooking appliances account for about 12 percent of the electricity bill in a typical restaurant.¹ The table below provides an estimate of cooking electricity costs for sit-down and fast-food restaurants. Even if food preparation is a relatively small part of the activity at your facility, energy efficient cooking appliances can reduce energy costs. Fortunately, there are also ways to save without making substantial capital investments. As a general rule, commercial cooking operations can be grouped into the major categories of ovens, stovetops, fryers and broilers. This fact sheet focuses on energy efficiency opportunities in these major groups of appliances.

Electric cooking has several advantages for commercial users in addition to energy efficiency including:

• Ease of cleaning resulting in lower labor costs
• Less heat resulting in lower air conditioning bills
• Enhanced employee comfort and satisfaction potentially leading to less turnover
• Improved heat controls with superior low heat control
• The safety of electricity as an energy source
• Faster cooking with microwave, convection and flashbake ovens, and induction cook tops
• Stable energy costs with costs going down through 2003

Look here for more information on energy efficient commercial cooking including:

• Oven related energy saving opportunities
• Stovetop related energy saving opportunities
• Fryer energy saving opportunities
• Broiler energy saving opportunities
• Other kitchen energy saving ideas
• More information on energy efficient commercial cooking
• Energy answers fact sheet

¹ APS study of electricity use in 14 different building types in the Phoenix area.

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