REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE
Chapter VII - Food Services
To complete this section, the Energy Audit Team needs to inspect the food service area of the school and evaluate a number of conditions.
Equipment Needed: Thermometer to measure water temperatures.
Task: Complete the following cooking and water heating checklists. To collect data you may have to interview some food services staff and do an on site inspection.
Cooking
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Yes |
No |
Commercial Food Service Energy Conservation Checklist |
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Second fry unit, broiler, overn, etc. used only for peak business hours. |
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Oven preheats at desired temperature; not at a higher temperature. |
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Smaller energy efficient ovens used whenever possible. |
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Ovens loads and unloaded quickly to avoid unnecessary heat loss. Every second an oven is open it loses about one percent of its heat. |
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Cooking and heating units not used are turned off. |
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Meat cooked slowly at low temperatures. Cooking on roast for five hours at 250o Fsaves 25-50 percent of the energy used in cooking for three hours at 350o F. |
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Baking and roasting scheduled so that oven capacity can be fully utilized. |
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Ovens are not opend during operation. |
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Food cooked on small part of grill heating only portion being cooked on. |
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Place weight on bacon and sausage to quicken their cooking time. |
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Frozen foods thawed in refrigeratior helping to reduce power demand for refrigerator. |
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Thaw all foods before cooking unless product characteristics prohibit. |
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Foods are prepared in containers with lids on them. |
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Fryers cleaned and oil filtered at least once a day. |
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Food warmers and hot plates turned on only as needed. |
Dishwasher - Water Heating
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Yes |
No |
Dishwasher and Water Heating |
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Turn water down to 75o F on closing, turn to 140o F two hours before opening. |
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Drain water heater every six months. |
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Use hot water only when necessary. |
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Dishwasher run only when there is a full load. |
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Hot water heater coils free from lime accumulations. |
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Leaking faucets? Dripping water faucets are costly in water and energy use. |
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Water pressure regulators on hot water lines to reduce wasted hot water. |
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Hot water lines insulated? |
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General-use hot water temperature 140o F. Taps at 110o F. |
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Cleaning done during daylight hours? |
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Mop from bucket to conserve hot water? |
Source: Northwest Natural Gas Company Commercial Food Service Energy Conservation Checklist,
In the Kitchen
In some areas you will pay more for the electricity used by some refrigerator models during their lifetimes than you paid for the refrigerator. You can work with vendors to find the availability and cost of alternative models. Would it be cost effective for the school to replace its existing equipment? Are there other options such as cooking in a central facility and transporting the food to the school?
Pilot lights use as much as 30% of all the gas a range uses.
In an experiment, cooking the same recipes in the same kitchen with the same utensils, some cooks used twice as much energy as others. How?
a. Using pots about the same diameter as the burner.
b. Using lids on their pots
c. Using a pressure cooker instead of a regular pot
d. Turning off the burner off a few minutes before the dish is done.
e. Deciding what you want before opening the refrigerator door.
f. Taking from the refrigerator everything you need for a meal all at once and quickly.
g. Running only full loads in the dishwasher.
In the Laundry
Some schools have a laundry. If so, this can present opportunities for savings. Opportunities can include;
Doing only full loads. This saves hot water and electricity. Many items can be washed in cool water and almost everything can be rinsed in cold water.
Warming up a clothes dryer takes energy. Save energy by drying loads one right after another without letting the dryer cool off.
Keep the lint filter of the dryer clean. A clogged filter keeps air from circulating and that means the dryer has to run longer to dry a load.
Recycling Materials
Schools in Eugene were able to save by recycling paper milk cartons from the lunch room. A special station was developed to enable students to crush the cartons before leaving them in specially marked containers. By recycling paper, milk cartons and other materials, the schools are able to reduce the amount of waste picked up by the garbage hauler. This can be a significant savings as well as being benefitial to the environment. Become familiar with your school’s solid waste contract and resources in your community relating to solid waste. In many communities there are individuals and organizations who will help you set up a program that is appropriate for your school and geographic area.
Using materials over again can save energy. For example, it takes about 20 times more energy to get aluminum from ore (bauxite) than from used cans.
Buying items and selecting options that will last a long time, can be repaired if they break, are made from recycled materials, can be recycled, and have a minimum of packaging is an excellent way of saving energy.
Recycling programs emphasize the three R’s.
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE