CSFG CIBSE Guide on energy savings

The CSFG, working with the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), has developed a CIBSE guide for energy efficiency and sustainability in commercial kitchens. The guide published in June 2009 and can be ordered online via the link on the home page.

Because energy savings can be achieved from so many different areas of commercial kitchens, and because the CSFG wants to take advantage of the huge amount of industry experience its working group members have, the work has been divided between seven working groups. To review the participating members of the working groups, and the guide headings that each group has drafted, refer to Working Group Members

If you are interested in contributing to future editions of the Guide, please refer to How can I help

The guide is 64 pages long and is divided into three main headings:

Part A:         Designing the kitchen
Part B:         Operating and upgrading the kitchen for maximum efficiency
Part C:         Benchmarks

Following is the draft Guide foreword:

Commercial kitchens are large users of gas, water and electrical energy, and can leave a large carbon footprint. This Guide has been written to provide industry-specific guidance and advice for kitchen designers, consultants, installers, managers, operators, owners, equipment specifiers and contract caterers on sustainability, and how to reduce the amount of energy used.  This in turn reduces the size of the kitchen's carbon footprint, and the running costs.

Any energy savings achieved relate directly to the profitability of the kitchen operation. Energy saving investment can take the form of time and/or money, and often reaches the payback point very quickly, as well as adding to the quality of the working environment and the market value of the building. It is important to understand the link between investment and operational saving, and that a low cost appliance or fitting for example, may not be a good investment because of higher running costs. Cutting costs on professional design advice, installation, commissioning and maintenance can also be a false economy.

Significant energy savings can be achieved from many areas of the kitchen. For new-builds and upgrades part of the picture may involve the purchase of new, energy-efficient appliances. For new and existing kitchens, substantial energy savings can be achieved by implementing simple operational and maintenance procedures, with further savings being made possible when older appliances reach the end of their life and are replaced with more efficient items.

This Guide aims to provide comprehensive and practical advice in all these areas for large and small kitchen operations, as well as providing carbon cost per meal benchmarks.

End of draft Guide foreword.

In conjunction with developing the Guide, the CSFG is carrying out energy monitoring work. By comparing the energy used with the meals output of the kitchen, carbon cost per meal benchmarks will be established, and published in the Guide. To find out more on energy monitoring, refer to Energy monitoring work

The CSFG CIBSE Guide will become a valuable industry tool for energy efficient kitchen design. The published Guide will be available from CIBSE, CEDA, CESA and FCSI. Publication price is £60.