Do your restaurant’s utility bills just seem to keep climbing? Commercial HVAC systems draw a lot of power, especially in this industry. Even minor improvements in efficiency can lead to big savings over time. Here are some tips from our commercial HVAC experts on how you can improve AC efficiency.
Don’t Overlook Ventilation Balance
Commercial kitchens have significant air turnover due to exhaust hoods, and any air that goes out must be replaced. Balancing makeup air is a sensitive operation, as negative pressure must be avoided to stop drawing in outdoor air. An unbalanced system just makes your commercial HVAC system work harder to keep up.
Properly balanced ventilation stabilizes the indoor pressure to avoid drawing in hot air. This is also essential to prevent temperature swings between the kitchen and dining areas. Having your system professionally balanced will improve comfort, reduce energy use, and avoid excessive strain on your HVAC system.
Schedule a Tune-Up Before Peak Cooling Season
Restaurant environments can be harsh on HVAC equipment, with plenty of grease and smoke to accumulate on evaporator and condenser coils. That buildup restricts heat transfer, making your HVAC system work harder. That reduced efficiency leads to more energy use and higher utility bills, so schedule a tune-up before peak cooling season.
How Often Should Commercial AC Coils Be Cleaned?
It’s best to get a thorough tune-up at least twice annually for commercial HVAC systems in restaurants. While other types of businesses might get by with one, there is simply too much buildup in this environment. Depending on the configuration of your kitchen and throughput, quarterly service might even be called for.
Upgrade to Smart Controls and Zoned Temperature Control
Modern technology provides effective solutions for the diverse cooling needs across kitchens, dining areas, storage, and other areas of your restaurant. Zoned temperature control lets your HVAC system distribute cooling based on the actual demand instead of having too much air conditioning in some areas and not enough in others.
There are also smart control systems that can improve efficiency even further. You can easily set schedules to suit operating conditions. These systems also gather data that can highlight any performance or efficiency issues and let you get the commercial HVAC services you need before problems escalate.
Specialized Cooling for High-Demand Spaces
Different areas in restaurants can call for very specific cooling requirements. This is for quality and is also often required for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service food handling regulations. Using a single system for these purposes is ineffective and inefficient, so specialized cooling may be the right choice.
Do Restaurants Need Separate HVAC Systems for Different Spaces?
Yes, it is often the best choice to have separate HVAC systems for spaces like wine storage, prep areas, walk-in coolers, bakery stations, and others. This provides the necessary control over temperature and humidity that these areas call for.
Commercial HVAC Services Tailored for Restaurants
Restaurants face unique cooling challenges, so they need services that can meet them. The Lee Thompson Co. has been providing that service as a local family-owned and operated commercial HVAC company for over 60 years. We have the specialized skills necessary to handle restaurant HVAC. Reach out for HVAC service for any system.
