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According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “The U.S. population has doubled over the past 50 years, while our thirst for water has tripled. With at least 40 states anticipating water shortages by 2024, the need to conserve water is critical.” Many areas, especially the Western region of the United States, are experiencing water shortages due to ongoing drought, and other regions are affected by climate change. “We are talking about a 20-year period of drought-like conditions with an ever-increasing demand on water,” says Lis Mullin Bernhardt, an ecosystems expert at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “These conditions are alarming, and particularly in the Lake Powell and Lake Mead region, it is the perfect storm.”

At almost one million units, restaurants are one of the biggest users of water in the United States. Ideally, designing and selecting water conserving plumbing fixtures for the entire facility from the beginning will achieve the highest level of water conservation and utility savings possible. But if the restaurant is older or the plumbing fixtures are breaking down, you may still optimize what you have by upgrading your restaurant with water conserving fittings and faucets that are built specifically to withstand the demands of a commercial kitchen.

Key Considerations for Water Conservation

The primary factor to consider is the rate of water flow coming from your faucets, typically measured in gallons per minute: GPM. The importance of these three letters for your plumbing fittings cannot be stressed enough. Excess water usage eats away at your profits silently if you are not aware of your GPM. Also note that faucet manufacturers can lead the way with innovations to provide flow reductions that often exceed the requirements of plumbing codes and standards.

GPM = Gallons per minute – the flow rate of water delivered by the faucet

GPF = Gallons per flush – the total water volume delivered (or dispensed) by the toilet or urinal

Also important is the energy efficiency of your water heater, so it’s a good idea to select and install EPA Energy Star rated units. Next be sure that you have a plumbing contractor who knows your business. A knowledgeable plumbing professional will check to assure you are maximizing operations while conserving water. One of the first ways you can make changes is to replace faucet outlets, pre-rinse sprays, and public restroom faucets with models that use less water. Replacing high flow outlets with water conserving outlets reduces both your water usage and the amount of wastewater you produce, saving you money without risking performance.

 

Restrooms with Touchless Faucets Can be set to save water

 

Analyze the Front of the House - Are Updates Needed?

To help you with your homework, here are some additional water reduction thoughts for efficient restaurant operations. The lowest hanging fruit for conservation is the front-of-the-house public restrooms.

Install automated or electronic touchless restroom faucets and toilets to maximize sustainability. Here is where it makes sense (and cents!) to go with a faucet that uses as little water as possible while still providing a satisfying visitor experience.

Front-of-the-House Public Restrooms

·        For existing faucets: Reducing the standard lavatory faucet from a 2.2 GPM outlet to a WaterSense compliant 1.5 GPM can provide up to a 32% savings. By going even lower, to 0.5 GPM as is the requirement in California, will boost savings up to 75%.

·        For both existing restrooms and new ones, it’s possible to save even more water: touchless restroom faucets are available with a 0.35 GPM non aerating spray outlet to provide maximum water savings. (These are lower than WaterSense recommendations and do an amazing conservation job.)

·        In new construction, installing dual-flush toilets with flush volumes of 1.6 / 0.8 GPF or 1.28 / 0.8 GPF saves thousands of gallons every year. Geberit, the innovator of in-wall systems for wall-hung toilets offers built-in dual flushing for maximum water conservation. The in-wall systems also save space and are ideal for ADA compliance with the wall-hung toilet.

Chicago Faucts Mini-PreRinse saves water in restaurant kitchen

 

Back of the House – The Kitchen Has Options Too

 

  • Pre-Rinse Faucets - Install low-flow pre-rinse spray nozzles or valves to help save water.  Educate staff to manually scrape food waste before using the spray valve.
  • With existing kitchens, replace the pre-rinse faucet nozzle, which is typically 1.6 GPM or higher, with a low-flow pre-rinse valve that uses only 1.0 GPM. The person rinsing dishes gets fantastic water pressure while maintaining work efficiency. Meanwhile water usage and utility expenses are reduced by almost 30%. (Based on three hours of daily usage and industry average utility costs, industry standard unit 1.42 GPM versus a unit with reduced rate of 1.28 GPM according to a Chicago Faucets study.)
  • For new kitchens, food trucks, and bars select a mini-pre-rinse fitting and valve that comes with a 1.0 GPM flow rate. Deck- and wall-mounted models are available. A mini pre-rinse under 24” in height is ideal for limited spaces.
  • Dipperwell Faucets – These the used for rinsing off the ice scream scoops. Turn them on as needed, monitor usage, and turn off when not in use. Select 0.35 GPM models for maximum water savings. Ideally, replace standard dipperwell faucets with metering faucets. This reduces overall water usage because a metering faucet shuts off automatically instead of running continuously. A major international coffee chain uses a low arc spout faucet in a dipperwell (model 333-665PSHABCP) to save water in the dipperwell basin.
  • Conserve Water in Hand Washing Stations – For ultimate water conservation, upgrade faucets with 0.50 GPM flow outlets and touchless operation.
  • For Kitchen Sinks think “Pressure Compensating Outlet”. Select manual deck faucets that are equipped with a pressure compensating aerator to not only save water but to also provide a consistent flow rate over varying pressure ranges. These can range from 1.5 GPM to 2.2 GPM. Pressure compensating outlets are available with a laminar flow as well.
  • Kitchen Work Sinks – On-Demand Operation with a Hands-free Faucet Pedal Box – This is an option for kitchen work areas as the foot operated pedals activate on demand and eliminate excessive water usage when compared to cycle adjustable or other manual faucets. The pedals are designed to immediately terminate water flow when foot pressure is removed.
  • Employee Restrooms – Install touchless faucets for mandatory handwashing. The faucets will only run when hands are detected and shut off automatically, saving water. This is unlike a manual faucet that runs continuously until the user turns it off.

 

Note: Utility rates differ on water across the country so it is difficult to generalize how much money will be saved. To see more ideas for water use conservation in restaurants and commercial kitchens download the “Commercial Kitchens Water Use Efficiency and Best Practices Guide” produced by the Alliance for Water Efficiency and visit Water Savings by Chicago Faucets.

 

Article by Patrick Tanzillo, Chicago Faucets, Commercial Product Manager