Water Efficiency: A Smart Move for Restaurants
Sustainability is more than a trend; it's a practical strategy that can directly impact your bottom line. By focusing on water efficiency, you can reduce costs, improve your facility's performance and enhance your reputation.
Key benefits to becoming a water efficient restaurant:
- Reduced water costs: Lower utility bills can significantly impact your bottom line.
- Improved facility efficiency: Water-saving measures can enhance your building's overall performance.
- Enhanced sustainability reputation: Demonstrate your commitment to environmental responsibility.
The following resources help restaurants implement water efficiency best practices so they can achieve their water efficiency goals.
Post posters in your food-preparation and dishwashing areas to encourage employees to conserve water. Download the signs for free (PDF format).
- Use energy-efficient flake or nugget machines instead of cube ice machines. Water savings potential: 38,000 gallons per year; energy savings potential: 2,500 kilowatt-hours per year.
- Defrost food in the refrigerator instead of under running water. Water savings potential: 65,700 gallons per year.
- Use boilerless steamers that consume three gallons per hour or less. Water savings potential: 162,000 gallons per year; energy savings potential: 26,000 kwh per year.
- Collect the condensate from steam in boiler-type steam kettles with an insulated line to help the water retain heat. Reuse the water for boiling. Water savings potential: 90,400 gallons per year.
- Use no more than 15 gallons of water in combination ovens, which are used to keep food from drying out while baking. Water savings potential: 120,000 gallons per year; energy savings potential: 12,500 kwh per year.
- Install an in-line restrictor on the supply line to dipper wells to reduce flow to less than 0.3 gallons per minute. Water savings potential: 236,520 gallons per year.
- Use pasta cookers that have a simmer mode and automatic overflow controls.
- Use 0.065 gallons-per-minute pre-rinse spray valves to rinse dishes.
- Install a water-saver kit on grinders or use strainer baskets in place of garbage disposers. Water savings potential: 375,000 gallons per year; energy savings potential: 3,300 kwh per year.
- Use dishwasher equipment that meets efficiency standards set by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and install steam doors to reduce evaporation. Water savings potential: 450,000 gallons per year.
- Install dishwashers that save water from the last wash to use in the next load (do not use fill-and-dump machines).
- Use dishwashers and C-line conveyors with electronic sensors, door switches, etc., to stop water flowing when they’re not washing.
- Replace worn and missing water jets on dishwashers.
- Use hoses with self-closing nozzles and limit flow to no more than five gallons per minute. Water savings potential: 290,000 gallons per year.
- Sweep floors; do not hose them down with water.
- Use rubber squeegees to collect food residual from the floor before using a hose.
- Install WaterSense®-labeled ultra-high-efficiency toilets.
- Install WaterSense®-labeled urinals that use 0.125 gallon per flush or less.
- Install showerheads with a 1.25-gallons-per-minute flow rate or less.
- Install aerators on hand-washing sinks to reduce each sink’s flow to 1 gallon per minute or less.
- Install aerators on kitchen, food service and mop sinks so they do not exceed a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute.
- Eliminate single-pass (once-through) cooling water used in air compressors, etc. with the use of chillers, cooling towers, or air cooled equipment.
- Minimize blow-down on cooling towers and boilers by using a conductivity controller.
- Follow Denver Water’s watering rules.
- Do not exceed 18 gallons of water per square foot of irrigated turf areas.
- Include water efficiency in the company’s environmental policy statement.
- Delegate water efficiency responsibilities.
- Establish quantitative water efficiency goals and communicate those goals to employees.
- Inspect for leaks regularly.
- Use a sub-meter and monitor for excessive water consumption or leaks.