Commercial Kitchen Package for Businesses and Operators

Choose an ENERGY STAR Commercial Kitchen Package

According to Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Food Service Technology Center, much of the annual energy use for the commercial food service (CFS) sector does no useful work. These lost energy dollars are often wasted in the form of excess heat and noise generated by inefficient appliances, heating ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting and refrigeration.

Manage Costs
To help counter these costs, ENERGY STAR helps restaurant owners and operators improve the performance of their facilities and equipment while reducing energy costs. Restaurants that invest strategically can cut utility costs 10 to 30 percent without sacrificing service, quality, style or comfort - while making significant contributions to a cleaner environment.

Restaurants, or facilities with commercial kitchens, feature the majority of this equipment and consume significantly more energy than other types of buildings - using approximately 250,000 Btu/sq.ft.

ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can be an answer to mounting energy bills. Purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment as a package for new kitchen construction or as a replacement for aging equipment, can save significant amounts of money and energy on foodservice operators' electric, gas, water and sewer bills.

Save Energy, Save Money

Outfitting an entire kitchen with a suite of ENERGY STAR qualified CFS equipment could save operators about 350 Mbtu/year annually, or the equivalent of approximately $3,600.

Besides saving energy, ENERGY STAR qualified steam cookers and commercial dishwashers save water. Steam cookers that have earned the ENERGY STAR are 90 percent more water efficient than non-qualified steam cookers; an ENERGY STAR qualified commercial dishwasher is 25 percent more water efficient than standard models.

Related Information

Guidebooks

• ENERGY STAR Guide for Restaurants (1.1MB)
• Equipment Savings Fact Sheet (1.17MB)
• ENERGY STAR Lighting Options for Restaurants & Commercial Kitchens (526KB)
• CFS Program Administrator Guide for Utilities (418KB)
• Importing Regulated CFS Products into Canada (48KB)

Case Studies

• National Grid Commercial Kitchen Efficiency Program Case Study (594KB)
• Austin Public Schools Case Study (884KB)
• Saratoga Restaurant Equipment Sales Case Study (203KB)
• Kessenich’s Ltd. Case Study (192KB)

Helpful Web Sites

• Industry Training – the ENERGY STAR Training Center
• ENERGY STAR Enhanced Testing and Verification Updates
• PG&E Food Service Technology Center
• Consortium for Energy Efficiency's (CEE) Commercial Kitchens Initiative
• National Restaurant Association's Conserve Initiative

CFS products in the following eight categories may earn the ENERGY STAR: fryers, hot food holding cabinets, commercial refrigerators and freezers, commercial steam cookers, commercial dishwashers, commercial ice makers, commercial griddles, and commercial ovens. Qualified products can save up to as much as 50 percent over their conventional counterparts.

For a list of ENERGY STAR partners that sell ENERGY STAR qualified equipment, see Where to Buy.

For a list of CFS incentives, please see either the 2011 CFS Incentive Guide or the ENERGY STAR CFS Incentive Finder.

The ENERGY STAR CFS Incentive Finder displays utility incentives for ENERGY STAR qualified commercial food service equipment.

The 2012 CFS Incentive Guide is an excel spreadsheet that includes incentives for both ENERGY STAR qualified equipment and energy efficient equipment not covered by the ENERGY STAR program.

These are the top FAQs related to Commercial Kitchen Package and the ENERGY STAR program.