Chef obtained large energy savings: “It was painless”

On and off times

A canteen can typically save 8-12 % of its power consumption by Ken Storkøkken taking a look at the kitchen staff’s daily habits.

“There’s a tendency to just turn everything on when you arrive in the morning,” says Martin Armand Nielsen, who advises canteens on energy optimization under the ‘Catch the Wasters’ concept.

In the canteen in building 202, the kitchen staff should postpone turning on the dishwasher and instead gather dishes in piles and sort them before running it. The same applies to several of the kitchen appliances, which should only be switched on when the staff needs to use them.

In addition, they should pay attention to closing the ovens to prevent heat from escaping. You can save 60-80 % energy every time if the oven does not need to use energy for reheating.

“If I tell you that Coca-Cola has discovered that the ideal temperature for soft drinks is actually 8 degrees, what do you think about that?” asks Martin Armand Nielsen.

“That’s one lukewarm Coke,” Annemette Bock notes. Nevertheless, she turns up the temperature in the cold and freezer stores so that they are not colder than necessary. You can save 5 % energy for every degree you turn up the temperature.

The world’s best snitch

Ken Storkøkken measures energy consumption in the kitchen using a measurement technology that can map and analyse the consumption of individual kitchen appliances, right down to how often and how much an oven is opened and closed.

“I’ll be completely honest with you and say that, when I saw that you came alone, my first thought was: ‘This may be a little hard going’,” says Martin Armand Nielsen about the kickoff meeting, where Annemette Bock was the only one to show up due to busyness in the kitchen.

The energy consultant’s experience is that the process works best when the entire kitchen staff are shown the measurements, because everyone will then have ownership of the project.

“Nevertheless, you’ve reduced your energy consumption by 17 % during the measurement period,” reveals Martin Armand Nielsen while displaying graphs and bar charts on his computer. The blue fields outside the red line reportedly illustrate everything that the kitchen has saved. In precise terms, this amounts to an annual saving of DKK 40,000 and a reduction of three tonnes of CO2 per year.

The kitchens lead the way

The canteen in building 202 is not the only one to obtain great energy savings. Four of DTU’s other campus canteens have also worked to reduce their energy consumption as much as possible through more energy-friendly behaviour. The kitchens reduced their consumption by 13 % on average, which corresponds to 8,490 kg less CO2 per year, and if the canteens continue to use an energy-friendly approach in their work, they can save a minimum of DKK 137,500 per year.

“I find it very inspiring, and I think it can be transferred to other areas where, if you change your behaviour, you can really achieve results without creating obstacles in your everyday working life,” concludes Lene Kuszon, Project Manager in DTU Campus Service.

She offers employees in DTU’s departments workshops in energy behaviour in accordance with DTU’s goal of reducing the University’s total energy consumption by 10-15 %.

“We’ve shown that it can be done in our kitchens, and we now need to get the rest of DTU on board,” says Lene Kuszon about the project.

“It has been painless”

Back on the bench in the canteen, Annemette Bock breathes a sigh of relief and winks when she hears the result.

“It has been painless. The overview we gained of the power consumption of the individual machines in our kitchen enabled us to work with our on and off times,” says Annemette Bock proudly and praises her kitchen staff for their support for the project.

The head chef is presented with a diploma by Martin Armand Nielsen, who congratulates her. Annemette Bock poses for a photo, but not before turning her black, knee-length apron inside out so that she can pose with the clean side of the apron in front of the camera.