KITCHEN EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES
Institutional dining halls have the potential to produce a lot of waste, therefore they are resource-intensive. Energy Star equipment and appliances should be specified. Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) has been proactive in reducing resource and energy consumption through their greening program. HUDS has utilized the HGCI Loan Fund to upgrade kitchen equipment to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Starting in February 2006, the “Green Skillet” is an inter-kitchen competition designed to train HUDS staff in energy and resource conservation best practices. The competition includes recommended practices for kitchen energy efficiency, such as turning off appliances when not needed, and identifying and replacing inefficient equipment.
The Advanced Buildings Energy Benchmark, Sections 5.13 and 8.11 outlines Refrigeration Efficiency Requirements.
RANGE HOOD CONTROLS
RANGE HOOD CONTROLS AT HARVARD
MATHER DUNSTER, QUINCY, ADAMS, CABOT, PFORZHEIMER, CURRIER, LEVERETT KITCHENS – HUDS; KRESGE & SPANGLER – HUDS (2006) Range hoods in kitchens, like fume hoods in laboratories, are energy intensive. Running the exhaust all day is unnecessary. Installing hood controls allows the hood to run only when needed. Mather Dunster’s Melink Intelli-Hood Exhaust Controls monitor the smoke and temperature in the range hood. A laser beam monitors smoke, then controls the speed drive on the exhaust. According to the mechanical engineer, “the hood exhaust fan and the makeup air unit ramps up and down based on actual cooking loads in the kitchen, allowing for energy savings." This ability to adapt to usage has pronounced environmental benefit in a college kitchen, where most of the cooking is centered around three specific times a day with lulls in activity between meals. The hood exhaust fan is tied to the makeup air units by new DDC controls, which adjust make-up air accordingly. HUDS used the Green Campus loan fund to help finance these projects.
- Melink Intelli-Hood Exhaust Controls
- Melink Website, with benefits, FAQs, and energy analysis calculator, and technical info
- 3 year warranty from date of purchase
- According to Melink, typical annual operating savings are $1,500 to $5,000 per hood with a payback of 1-3 years
- According to Melink, controls reduce hood noise in the kitchen by up to 90% when the fans slow down
- Projected annual savings of $82,497 (Y2006 dollars)
- Savings of 707,314 kwh annually
- Greenhouse gas savings of 290 metric tons of CO2 equivalent
- 1.91 year payback
- Air Solutions installed
CONSIDERATIONS
In order to assess the environmental impacts of equipment that use different fuels, it is important to convert all energy use numbers to a universal energy unit in order to accurately compare the relative benefits of the equipment.
STEAM KETTLES AND DRYERS
STEAM KETTLES AND DRYERS AT HARVARD
HUDS – When faced with ordering new kettles and dish dryers, HUDS engineers decided to tap into the building’s main steam supply and specified steam kettles and dryers that were substantially more efficient than their electric counterparts.
- Groen Steam Kettles and Dryers
- Kettles and dryers save 29,241 and 4,723 kWh, respectively
- Save a combined annual total of $2,170 annually (Y2002 dollars)

EFFICIENT DISHWASHERS AT HARVARD
EFFICIENT DISHWASHERS AT HARVARD
MATHER DUNSTER KITCHEN (2006), QUINCY, ADAMS, ANNENBURG KITCHENS
Hobart 86A: 245 gallons per hour
Hobart FT900: 168 gallons per hour
Annenberg
- Hobart FT900 w/OptiRinse
- Reduce water use by 696,600 gallons annually
- Save $29,978 in steam, rinse additive and water/sewer (Y2005 dollars)
- 2.87 year payback
Adams Kitchen:
- Reduce water use by 323,811 gallons per year
- Save $7,890 in steam and water/sewer per year (Y2005 dollars)
- 4.08 year payback
MATHER DUNSTER KITCHEN (2006), OTHER HUDS PROJECTS – Traditional dish washing troughs lose all spent water to waste. TroughVeyors have water reclamation systems that separate water from food scraps, circulating water back to the beginning of the washing process. It operates at a velocity of 70 gallons per minute, but recirculates, using only 7 gallons of fresh water per minute.
- Salvajor TroughVeyor
- Salvajor website
- One year warranty, parts and labor
- Estimated to save 500,000 gallons of water annually
- Total annual savings of $3,995 (Y2006 dollars)

FOOD COMPOSTING
FOOD COMPOSTING AT HARVARD
MATHER DUNSTER KITCHEN, ADAMS, LOWELL/WINTHROP, ANNEBURG – HUDS (2006) - Mather Dunster’s Somat Pulper and Hydra Extractor collects nearly 1000 pounds of organic compost daily by removing moisture from pulped organic slurry. A magnetic device called “The Grabber” prevents utensils from damaging the equipment. This system grinds organic wastes from the kitchen, which is ground into slurry and piped to the Hydra-Extractor near the loading dock. Water is then extracted, resulting in a semi-dry and relatively odor-free pulp ready to be composted.
- Somat Pulper and Hydra Extractor with The Grabber
- 1-year warranty
- Diverts over 240,000 pounds of waste from landfills each year
- Pulper capacity: 1000-1250 pounds per hour
- Hydra Extractor: capacity 1400-4000 pounds per hour
CONSIDERATIONS
These systems need a relatively direct line to the collection bins outside, otherwise they tend to jam.
WASTE OIL RECYCLING
WASTE OIL RECYCLING AT HARVARD
MATHER DUNSTER KITCHEN, QUINCY, CABOT/PFORZHEIMER, LOWELL/WINTHROP, ANNENBURG – HUDS (2006) – Mather Dunster’s kitchen fryers are directly connected to a 150 gallon stainless steel storage tank so waste vegetable oil can be filtered and collected without risk of spill.
In the fall of 2006, Harvard’s Recycling and Waste Management department converted a recycling truck to run on straight vegetable oil from the Annenburg Hall kitchen. The Green Campus Loan Fund funded the project. The $5,500 investment is expected to achieve payback in 1-1/2 years in diesel fuel savings. See this Harvard Gazette article on the project.
APPLICABLE LEED CREDITS
LEED NC WEc3 & CI WEc1: Water Use Reduction, 20% and 30% reduction
LEED NC & CI: EA Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Performance
LEED NC & CI: EAc1: Optimize Energy Performance
LEED-CI: EAc1.4 Optimize Energy Performance: Equipment & Appliances
LEED-NC: MR Prerequisite 1: Storage and Collection of Recyclables
LEED NC & CI: Innovation in Design Process
RELVANT SPECIFICATIONS SECTIONS
Division 11: Equipment
Updated: Monday, June 23, 2008 4:56 PM


