Kitchen Appliance Upgrades Improve Water Efficiency at DOD Exchange Facilities: Best Management Practice Case Study #11: Commercial Kitchen Equipment (Brochure) Page: 3 of 4
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Commercial Food Steamers
Food steamers provide fast, high-volume cooking by
injecting steam into a large oven-style compartment,
transferring heat from the steam to the food. Two common
types of steamers are boiler-based and connectionless
steamers. Boiler-based steamers are connected to a boiler
that injects steam into the food compartment. Steam and
hot condensate that is not taken up in the food drains to the
bottom of the equipment and often needs to be tempered
with additional water before it is rejected into the sewer
line. Average water rates for boiler-based steamers, whether
fueled by electricity or gas, are 40 gallons per hour (gph).
The Exchange's sustainability plan calls for installing a
connectionless ENERGY STAR qualified steamer. These
units have a water reservoir that is heated to supply steam
to the food. A small amount of the steam is vented, but
the bulk of the unused steam is returned to the reservoir
to be used in the next cycle. Typical water flow rates of
connectionless steamers are about 3 gph. Connectionless
steamers can qualify for the ENERGY STAR label if they
consume 3 gallons of water or less per hour and meet
energy consumption goals as well, which are based on the
fuel source. Electric food steamers must meet 50% cooking
energy efficiency when cooking a heavy load of potatoes,
and gas food steamers must meet 38% cooking energy
efficiency under the same cooking conditions. Table 3 shows
the savings between a standard boiler based food steamer
and an ENERGY STAR connectionless food steamer.
Table 3. Commercial Food Steamer Savings
Standard ENERGY Water Annual Annual
Machine boiler connection- savings water energy
based less savingsa savings
Steamer 40 gph 3 gph 92.5% 174.50 4,930
kgal kWh
or 33
MBtu
a6-pan steamer, heavy useI
Commercial food steamer
2 Food Service Technology Center (2007). A Field Study to
Characterize Water and Energy Use of Commercial Ice-Cube
Machines and Quantify Savings Potential. www.fishnick.com/publica-
tions/appliancereports/special//ce-cube machinefield study pdf
Accessed December 2010.Commercial ice machine
Ice Machines
There are two main types of ice machines-air cooled and
water cooled. Water-cooled ice machines can be single-pass
cooling systems that waste a significant amount of water,
using 150 gallons per 100 pounds of ice made (gal/100 lb
ice) just to cool the equipment. Air-cooled machines can be
less energy efficient because water is better at removing heat
than air; however, a study that analyzed the total life-cycle
cost-effectiveness of ice machines clearly indicated that
air-cooled machines are the most efficient and economical
choice because of the tremendous water savings.2
Typical water use rates of air-cooled ice machines range
between 20 and 30 gal/100 lb ice. To qualify for the
ENERGY STAR label, an ice machine must be air-cooled
and use less than 25 to 35 gal/100 lb ice, depending on model
type. The Exchange's sustainability plan calls for installing
ENERGY STAR qualified ice machines at its facilities. Table
4 shows the savings between a water-cooled ice maker and an
ENERGY STAR qualified air-cooled ice maker.
Table 4. Commercial Ice Maker Savings
Water- ENERGY Annual Annual
Machine STAR Savings water energy
air-cooled savings savings
Ice 150 gal/ 25-35 gal/ 76%- 2.50 1,200
maker 100 lb 100 lb ice 83% kgal kWh
ice
Additional Water Efficiency Opportunities
In addition to the technologies discussed in this case
study, the Exchange is also implementing water-efficient
technologies in and out of the commercial kitchen. In the
commercial kitchen, the Exchange's sustainability plan
calls for installing low-flow nozzles for sinks and pressure-
controlled foot pedals for hand sinks. In ice cream shops,
on-and-off valves for dipper wells are being installed so that
the wells do not run continuously. Outside the commercial
3
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Kitchen Appliance Upgrades Improve Water Efficiency at DOD Exchange Facilities: Best Management Practice Case Study #11: Commercial Kitchen Equipment (Brochure), report, September 1, 2011; Golden, Colorado. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc831723/m1/3/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.