Tips For Saving Water In Your Catering Business

Reducing your water consumption isn’t just for saving the planet and minimising your environmental impact, it can also help to reduce your business’s operating costs. 

Commercial kitchens are one of the highest users of water in the country. With food preparation and cleaning, alongside general cleaning and washing – water comes at a cost. 

Caterers and businesses that have a commercial kitchen can take major steps to reduce their overall water use, so we’ve listed our best advice and top tips in the blog post below. 

Water Audit

Carry out a water audit to highlight where the biggest uses of water lie, and where savings can be made. 

• Check for drips and leaks in your taps, pipes, and appliances. These can waste a high volume of water over a short period of time.
• Examine patterns of usage and note where change could be implemented.
• Set a goal for reducing your water consumption to focus your attention on what needs to be done and how to achieve it. Put timelines in places to achieve these goals. 

Water Reduction

Excessive water use can often be the result of habit. One such habit is to leave a tap running when cleaning and rinsing. A large tap can have a flow of up to 40 litres a minute. To reduce water:

• Increase staff awareness of the amount of water being consumed and the plan to cut down.
• Fit spray heads and flow restrictors to reduce the maximum flow.
• Install automatic shut-off taps.
• Use trigger-operated spray guns.
• Only use dishwashers and glasswashers when they are fully loaded.
• Optimise the cycle times of your machines by consulting the instructions.
• Consider more water efficient machinery when you need to replace old equipment.
• Install low-flow taps with motion sensors or push taps.
• Don’t thaw food under cool running water, be organised and thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Install tape aerators that mix air into the water system and will use less water without losing pressure. 

Benefits Of Saving Water

By using less water in your restaurant, café, or catering business can enjoy several financial benefits as well as benefits that contribute to a better environment.

• Lowering your water bill, it goes without saying.
• Lowering maintenance and repair costs, appliances that use lots of hard water need more regular maintenance due to excessive limescale. Using less water will reduce this.
• Less water wastage, you’re doing your bit for the environment.
• Saving energy, heating water requires energy, by using less water less energy is automatically used to heat it. 
  

Commercial kitchens and other hospitality industries that actively work to reduce their water consumption show their commitment to sustainable business in the hospitality industry. This not only improves the image of your establishment but will also attract customers who value environmental awareness.

Is your commercial kitchen in need of a new water-saving dishwasher? Speak to a member of the team at Dishwasher Direct today or explore our range of energy and water efficient dishwashers online.