« Investing in the Stalkmarket | Main | Monitoring Energy Consumption Pays »
Kitchens Are a Great Energy Saving Locations
This article is used with permission from Hospitable Climates
By Ian McKerracher, former Chief Executive of the Restaurant Association, now landlord of The Helyar Arms, East Coker, Somerset.
When we moved out of London a year ago, to our new home in Somerset, I made a promise to myself that I would become a better custodian of our natural resources. In the city, it's so easy to fall into bad habits. Leaving a lamp on in every room of your house doesn't seem so profligate when there are thousands of streetlights illuminating the night. At home, we now recycle glass, plastic and aluminium cans. Our kitchen waste goes onto the compost heap and garden off-cuts are seasoned for use as firewood.
When I took over the lease of the Helyar Arms, our village inn, in April 2003, I wanted to apply similar principles -- but energy efficiency and the hospitality business are not natural bedfellows. Hospitable Climates is an excellent initiative for people like me, who want to find a better way of doing business, one that is kinder to the environment and saves money.
By far the greatest expenditure on energy is in the kitchen. When the chefs walked into the kitchen in the morning, the first thing they would do was light the gas-fired hob, ovens and grill "to warm the place up". It could be another hour before anything was cooked. After discussion and debate, we agreed a more economical approach. The chefs like to ease into the day by getting the 'veg prep' out of the way first. It is only when this is complete that the range is fired up.
The chefs clean and shut down the kitchen after service but it is part of the job of the night duty manager to check the kitchen, restaurant, bar and cellars, to ensure that nothing has been forgotten. However, it is possible to be over-zealous. I switched the plate warmer off one night only to discover the next morning that chef had left his meringues in it to dry out overnight.
We are interested in other ways of reducing energy consumption - and cost. Our target is to reduce our fuel bills by 15 percent over the next 12 months and we are looking forward to the free help and advice available through Hospitable Climates.
Hospitality Energy Assessment Tool Targeting Waste Series
Energy Measures, Case Study 4
Target to Reduce Energy Bills by 15 percent
Posted by Kit Cassingham
