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be sure to turn off those exhaust hoods at the end of the work day after all the appliances have been turned off. continued then implement an equipment start-up and shut-down schedule to ensure that you're using the energy you are buying as effectively (i.e. profitably) as possible. Properly Set the Temperature on Water Heaters. Making hot water can be one of the biggest energy costs in the kitchen—and making more hot water than you need just adds to that cost. The Food Service Technology Center energy-audit team routinely finds water heaters running anywhere from 10 to 40 degrees higher than necessary. Set the water heater so that you comply with local health codes and then check it on a regular basis to make sure it stays there. While you are at it, be sure to replace missing insulation on your hot water lines. These two actions are cheap and easy energy savers that should never be ignored. Make Sure Cooking Appliances Sit All the Way Under the Exhaust Hood. All the cooking appliances on a line need to sit all the way under the exhaust hood.That may seem obvious but the FSTC team routinely finds appliances that have migrated outside the exhaust hood for one reason or another. A hot appliance that is not properly ventilated is a health and safety hazard and all the heat that doesn't get captured by the exhaust hood will end up in the already hot kitchen—making it that much more expensive to cool. Also, Fix Broken Ductwork. Heating and cooling the space above the ceiling is a big waste but that is what happens when the heating and cooling ducts are broken. It is very common to find leaky ductwork above the ceiling tiles in older restaurants because the tiles often get moved in order to access the many systems (alarms, sound, lighting) that are hidden there. The best way to correct for broken ductwork is to have a professional contractor pressure test the system and seal the leaks. Upgrade Old Light Fixtures. Many restaurants – especially the kitchens – still have old style "T12" linear fluorescent lighting. Lighting manufacturers can no longer make T12 replacement lamps, due to the new federal energy standards, so it's time to upgrade those old fixtures. The good news is that the upgrade is fairly inexpensive.There are still some very good utility rebates for the newer,more efficientT8 lamps and you will end up with a better-lit kitchen and lower utility bills. But don't hesitate. As supplies of existing T12 replacement lamps dwindle, the cost for owning this outdated lighting technology will only increase. Maintain Appliances. Damaged door gaskets on steamers, ovens, and refrigerators will cause those pieces of equipment to work harder and that equals more energy use. Drilled out burners on range tops and poorly adjusted pilot lights are also unnecessary energy wasters.The energy purchased by a restaurant is only useful if it actually goes to cooking the food that is being sold. Energy leaking out a steamer door is not a good investment, so maintain appliances and remember if it looks wasteful, it is! Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances. When working appliances eventually die, make sure to replace them with more energy-efficient equipment. The ENERGY STAR® label is an easy way to identify efficient foodservice equipment. Many utilities also offer rebates for efficient appliances. Not only are efficient appliances cheaper to operate,they typically perform better than standard efficiency appliances, which is a win-win! K STONE HEARTH & SPECIALTY Commercial Cooking Equipment Discover why over 10,000 ovens, rotisseries, charbroilers, tandoors, and planchas have been sold in 75+ countries around the world. woodstone-corp.com info@woodstone-corp.com tf !""# %!!&!'"( ) t (360) 650-1111 28 FEDA New s & View s About the Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) The FSTC is the industry leader in commercial kitchen energy-efficiency and appliance-performance testing. Operated by Fisher-Nickel, Inc., the FSTC has developed over 35 standard test methods for evaluating commercial kitchen appliance and system performance. For more information and lots of useful online tools, visit the FSTC at fishnick.com.