How Does a Kitchen’s
Working Environment
Impact Carbon Footprint?
You may have heard that the wider built environment is pushing to understand how much embedded carbon (the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production stages of a product’s life) there is in a building. We think the catering side of things accounts for approximately 20–30% of embodied carbon, but the full extent of this is still an unknown. This is because embedded carbon hasn’t been sufficiently measured on materials – the catering equipment industry is far behind the rest of the building industry.
Manufacturers tend to be hesitant to work it out, with reasoning such as “does the client want a piece of equipment that actually works, or that has lesser carbon footprint?” Surely, the client can have both. Isn’t that like saying you have to choose between a car that works or a car that has a good emissions category?
How to Control the Controllables
What’s the point in knowing how much carbon we’re emitting, if we don’t control the controllables? How we use catering equipment can impact the amount of carbon emissions produced.
The human factor is an important element to look at – we can talk to our staff on how the way we work can reduce the carbon and cost impact of a kitchen operation.
Most kitchens are unheated. In commercial kitchens, cookers have long served a dual role: as tools that chefs use to create incredible dishes. But they also act as a chef’s radiator. While this might seem like a practical overlap, it’s far from ideal. So many kitchens leave the stoves on to heat the environment.
This means that outside of service hours, when the cookers are off, the kitchen gets uncomfortably cold and can take a while to heat up.
What Is the Optimal Temperature for Productivity?
Studies say that the ideal temperature for active jobs is between 17°C and 20°C. However, a 3– 4°C shift either way can result in a 30% loss in productivity.
That’s not the only thing – the reliance on cookers for heat also increases energy consumption. Cookers, especially gas equipment, are designed for culinary precision, not for heating efficiency. Using them as a default radiator wastes energy and creates higher carbon emissions.
How to Design Kitchens with Proper Heating
If you want to reduce the carbon footprint of catering operations and improve working conditions, kitchen designs should have dedicated heating systems that complement, rather than compete with, cooking equipment.
Kitchen equipment produces latent heat (hidden energy or heat released during a constant temperature process). Just think, if you walk into your kitchen at home in the winter, the warmest part is by your fridge. This is a natural byproduct of food storage, and we should harness it to heat the kitchen. There are systems in the market that can also capture heat that is released to the atmosphere and direct it back into a building.
These are not necessarily the cheapest options on CAPEX. But, when you take into account the OPEX on carbon and cost of a kitchen, there are substantial savings and the ROI is definitely there.
The Benefits of Proper Heating Systems
We’ve covered that it can be both environmentally AND financially beneficial to design a kitchen to reduce embodied carbon.
Here are a few more advantages to investigating in dedicated heating solutions:
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Improved working conditions: chefs work long hours in high-pressure environments. A kitchen that’s comfortable and climate-controlled enhances productivity and reduces fatigue.
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Lower energy costs: separating heating from cooking functions eliminates unnecessary energy use, reducing utility bills over time.
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Environmental impact: purpose-built heating systems are far more efficient, helping catering businesses reduce their carbon footprint and meet sustainability goals.