Discover energy-saving opportunities for restaurants and food service businesses, including commercial kitchen equipment rebates, ventilation improvements, water heating upgrades, and operational strategies designed to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency.
It’s no secret that margins can be tight for restaurants and food service businesses. Restaurants typically use five to seven times more energy per square foot than many other commercial buildings, making energy efficiency one of the most effective ways to reduce operating costs. Improvements can help lower energy consumption, create a more comfortable work environment, and support sustainability goals that matter to many customers.
ENERGY STAR-certified kitchen equipment can help reduce energy consumption while supporting food quality, productivity, and operational reliability. VGS offers rebates on a variety of qualifying commercial kitchen equipment to help offset upfront costs and accelerate payback. Review the equipment categories below to explore potential annual savings and available rebates.
| ENERGY STAR® Equipment | Annual Savings* | Rebate** |
|---|---|---|
| Fryers | $500 | $750 |
| Steam Cooker | $1000 | $1750 |
| Convection Oven (full-size) | $165 | $750 |
| Combination Oven (<24 gas bins) | $250 | $500 |
| Combination Oven (>24 gas bins) | $400 | $1000 |
| Griddle | $100 | $400 |
| Under-counter Dishwasher | $100 | $500 |
| Single-tank Dishwasher | $300 | $1000 |
| Multi-tank Dishwasher | $600 | $2000 |
| Pot/Pan/Utensil Dishwasher | $100 | $750 |
While efficient equipment can deliver long-term savings, operational improvements can often provide additional opportunities to reduce energy use and lower operating costs. The measures below focus on two of the largest energy-consuming systems in most commercial kitchens: ventilation and water heating.
Most commercial kitchen hoods operate at 100% capacity, even during idle periods, wasting thousands of dollars of energy every year. You can reduce your costs by installing fan controls that vary the speed based on the demand in your kitchen. VGS can work with you and a local mechanical contractor to understand the opportunity, calculate the energy savings, and offer a custom incentive package to add simple controls to your exhaust hood and reduce costs for heating your restaurant, store, or other surrounding spaces.
Between cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning, water heating can comprise 20% of a kitchen’s energy use. The first step is to reduce the amount of hot water going down your drain by installing low-flow spray nozzles and low-flow aerators. Then, consider upgrading your water heater. ENERGY STAR-certified water heaters use around 15% less energy than conventional units.
Whether you’re selecting new equipment, evaluating kitchen upgrades, or identifying opportunities to reduce operating costs, the resources below provide valuable information, best practices, and industry guidance for improving energy performance throughout your facility.
