Quick Links
- General Tips
- Ice Machines
- Filtration Systems
- Refrigerators and Freezers
- Dishwashers
- Carbonators
- Lighting
- Hand Dryers
- Resources
- Check for leaks on all equipment. video
- Clean the coils on machines at least quarterly.
- Make sure the gaskets on freezers/fridge doors seal correctly; this can be a major source of waste.
- Insulate pipes and water heaters if possible.
- Websites with Energy Information on Equipment
- Certification Program: Foodservice Energy Efficiency Expert
- There are a lot of environmental considerations around ice machines for cocktail bars. Some questions to consider include:
- How many kinds of ice do you want to serve, and how many machines do you need to make that ice?
- Can you get some of that ice delivered?
- Can you get away without a large cube machine?
- Can a Clinebell/hand-cutting replace a large cube/Kold-Draft machine or does that need to be an additional machine?
- Is a basic nightclub-style small cube machine with an ice crusher attachment be replaced with a pebble ice machine?
- Energy Efficiency of Ice Machines
- Should be air-cooled rather than water-cooled
- Be sure EnergyStar compliant in the US
- Pebble ice is the most efficient type of ice machine when it comes to water waste - many machines don't use all the water that comes into them and a certain percentage ends up being discarded
- You can adjust your ice machines to make less ice than a full container if you're not using that much
- Ice delivery
- Many bars have ice delivery. In some countries that's daily ice delivery if bars have no ice makers of their own. In others, only certain kinds of cubes are delivered, such as large 2-inch (50mm) cubes for cocktails on a single rock.
- Delivered ice cubes can be wrapped in plastic, or in disposable insulated "sleeves." Request less or no plastic, or work out a system of returning/recycling the insulation with the ice provider.
- If you use a more energy-intensive ice machine that makes large cubes in addition to a pebble ice machine, you can save energy and water by offering more cocktails that use the pebble ice.
- For tips on using less ice in cocktails, see the water conservation page.
- Ross Simon of Bitters & Twisted Cocktail Parlour lays out Reasons for Purchasing a Nano Filtration System.
- Luuk Gerritsen of Kome uses the VERO water system rather than single-use bottles for both still and sparkling water. More info here.
- Top-loading fridges and freezers save more energy than front-loading, as when you open the door of a front-loading machine all the cold air tends to fall out.
- Some freezer/fridges with glass doors have heaters on the doors to keep them clear/see-through and prevent condensation on them. If so, see if you can put them on timers so that they're not working when no one is in the bar.
- No cube machines:
-
According to Jennifer Colliau who worked at The Perennial in San Francisco [read post here], Scotsman pebble ice machines waste far less water than large cube machines including Hoshizaki and Kold-Draft (needs confirmation).Ice frozen into bottom of glasses. Photo by Jason Rowan.
- For shaken cocktails, Scotsman pebble ice was "whip shaked" in drinks and no ice was dumped out after.
- For most "rocks" cocktails, water was frozen into glasses kept in a glass freezer rather, than made in an ice machine. Batched stirred cocktails from the freezer were served in these glasses, as the ice was not there to dilute and chill the drinks but to keep them from warming. See picture at right.
- For drinks not on the menu, they could be stirred and poured over 2-inch (50 mm) ice cubes made in silicone ice cube trays.
-
- Try to run them only when full.
- Try to use environmentally-harmless soaps.
Carbonators - Make Homemade Carbonated Water Instead of Buying Bottled Products
- Soda siphons, such as iSi -These use cartridges full of carbon dioxide. Check if the cartridges are recyclable in your municipality.
- Soda delivery. Some cities have soda/seltzer delivery services with refillable seltzer bottles.
- Soda Stream. This is a common household machine with refillable carbon dioxide containers. It can be used to make flavored sodas or unflavored carbonated water.
- The Soda Gun - Many bars have sodas on "the gun," a soda dispenser. This is an efficient way of dispensing carbonated water.
- Kegged Mineral Water
- Some bars, including Duke's Spirited Cocktails, create a mineral blend and carbonate kegs of homemade mineral water.
- How to build a home carbonation rig [link to article on Serious Eats]
- Luuk Gerritsen of Kome uses the VERO water system rather than single-use bottles for both still and sparkling water. More info here.
- LED bulbs use about 15 times less energy than standard ones, even inside refrigerators
Hand Dryers Versus Paper Towels
- According to the book How Bad Are Bananas, the lowest impact of hand dryer options comes from the Dyson Airblade, primarily because it is unheated air. One paper towel has half the impact of a standard hot air hand dryer, but most people probably use at least 2 paper towels so they're about the same.
- Install Energy-Efficient Hand Dryers video. This video shows that using air dryers will reduce supply costs, save storage space, reduce waste going to landfill, and improve sanitation.
- Fishnick.com - This is the website of foodservice efficiency company with information on equipment used in restaurants and bars. "The FSTC promotes energy efficiency and demonstrates energy savings in foodservice through many different projects and programs."
- California EnergyWise - has some seminars and information about efficient equipment.