In July 2018, the Office for National Statistics published a report on which industries used the most energy. Unsurprisingly, hospitality came high up in the list in third place.
Research suggests that a commercial kitchen can use 10 times the amount of energy compared to other commercial buildings. As a whole, the catering industry in the UK uses around 20,600 million kWh of energy a year. This means that average restaurant utility costs are much higher than in other sectors.
Most restaurants have two energy hot spots. The first is, of course, the kitchen. Here, your cooking equipment uses a significant amount of gas, electricity and water.
You must also take the restaurant itself into account when calculating energy usage. To create the perfect atmosphere for diners, you must invest in the right heating and lighting. From air conditioners to lightbulbs and digital displays – it all uses energy. And the bigger your square footage, the higher your costs.
While energy usage is undoubtedly high for restaurants, there is a silver lining. According to research from the Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF) scheme, small and medium-sized restaurants are overspending by more than £90 million a year. By switching to a better deal using Utility Bidder, there’s the opportunity to make big energy savings. And you can save even more on utility bills by improving energy efficiency.