Water conservation tips for restaurants
Whilst there is a gushing amount of information on how to save water at home, very little exists for restaurant, bar and café owners keen to reduce their water usage.
This article aims to provide hospitality businesses with four simple water conservation tips that can be put into action straightway at very little cost.
Install tap aerators
Sizeable premises will have several taps in operation throughout the kitchens and bathrooms, and depending on your opening hours, they could be in use for up to sixteen hours per day.
A tap aerator can simply be screwed onto each head to deliver a mixture of air and water. Not only do aerators aid in water conservation, and lead to a consequent reduction in energy costs, but your customers will be grateful too, as they make less noise, improve the perception of water pressure and prevent splash back.
Fully load your dishwasher
Washing by hand will reduce your water consumption but during peak breakfast, lunch and dinner times this is often an unrealistic task for restaurants workers to commit to.
By waiting until the racks in the dishwasher are full rather than running a half-loaded machine several times throughout the day, you can also reduce water wastage.
Use eco-friendly appliances
Energy efficient appliances may cost a little more to begin with but over time they can significantly reduce your energy bills and your business’ carbon footprint.
Most companies are now manufacturing products with the environment in mind. Bosch, for instance, state that their ActiveWater dishwashers use 29%1 less energy than the models they were creating 15 years ago.
Fix leaks promptly
Amongst the hustle and bustle of a commercial kitchen it’s easy for a tap leak to go unnoticed, but even if a tap is experiencing just four drips per minute, one litre1 of water is being lost down the drain every day.
What’s more, leaks can lead to corrosion of your pipes and water damage to your building, both of which are more expensive to resolve further down the line.
This is why it’s always advised to have a professional plumber see to any problems sooner rather than later.
1 Bosch, 2015. Environmentally friendly dishwasher. [Online] Available at: http://www.bosch-home.co.uk/environmentally-friendly-dishwasher.html
2 USGS, 2015. Water Science Activities. [Online] Available at: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/sc4.html.
[Accessed 18th March 2015].