Energy- and water-saving kitchen equipment is often the key focus when designing a sustainable kitchen. While this type of equipment is critical, it’s important to also consider other elements, such as kitchen ventilation, that extend beyond dishwashing and cooking equipment.
The average kitchen ventilation system is responsible for 13 percent of a kitchen’s energy consumption. These systems consume as much energy as lighting and almost twice that of refrigeration.
“A significant amount of energy often escapes from a commercial kitchen through the ventilation system,” says Keven Hass, vice president of Gaylord Industries, Domestic Foodservice. “There are, however, several steps foodservice operations can take to design an effective ventilation system, improve air quality and improve productivity.”
Low Exhaust Volume Means Greater Energy Saving
One of the easiest things you can do to help your clients design an efficient kitchen ventilation system is to recommend units with the proper exhaust rate.
“Ventilation systems with low exhaust volume play a critical role in saving energy and lowering costs,” continues Hass. “Help your clients select kitchen exhaust hoods that match the cooking appliances below the hood, with a higher exhaust rate over heavy-grease-producing equipment such as broilers and woks and lower exhaust rates over equipment such as fryers, griddles, ovens and steamers that produce less heat, grease and smoke.”
Additionally, higher-efficiency exhaust systems can reduce your clients’ initial costs because they can install smaller, less-expensive fans, ductwork, and air conditioning and heating systems. Once a higher-efficiency exhaust system is in place, the operating costs are lower as well.
Get Out and Stay Out
Once the hood is in place, it’s important to ensure grease particles entering the hood are not escaping back into the kitchen, resulting in decreased air quality. Hood geometry and simple design adjustments can enhance capture performance and eliminate this kind of escape.
“Some ventilation hoods use a simple baffle system that is only 40 to 60 percent efficient at capturing grease,” explains Hass. “As a result, 40 to 60 percent of grease particles end up in the kitchen’s ductwork, on the fan and roof, and back into the air that the kitchen staff breathes.” Gaylord Industries offers a number of efficient grease-extraction ventilation systems, including the patent-pending XG High-Efficiency Grease Extractor, which is capable of extracting 88 to 90 percent of grease—as much as 50 to 60 percent more than standard baffle filters. This can save foodservice operations as much as 75 percent on annual duct cleaning, a potential saving of $1,200 per year.
Furthermore, you can help clients capture the most grease particles by recommending ventilation hoods that utilize:
UV technology: UV technology further enhances grease removal by breaking down organic matter into smaller particles and removing 99 percent of the remaining grease not captured by the hood’s extractors, helping to eliminate both grease buildup and odors.
High-efficiency systems: When high-efficiency grease-extraction systems are used, less cleaning is required, so fewer cleaning agents end up in the waste stream. Efficient capture also means a reduced potential for roof damage and duct fires due to grease buildup.
Internal water wash systems: Some ventilators use an automatic wash system to thoroughly remove grease. These systems use a detergent-injected, hot water spray wash that efficiently removes the daily accumulation of extracted grease while helping reduce the potential for employee injury through dismantling and hand cleaning.
Click here for more information on selecting efficient ventilation hoods or to learn more about the ventilation solutions offered by Gaylord Industries.
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