Although the majority of a restaurant’s energy is expended in the kitchen, paying attention to other areas of your facility can help you cut your energy costs as well.
In honour of Cintas’ “Best Restroom Award” (yes, seriously—nominations close May 20), we’re going to tell you how to create an energy-efficient restroom.
Making your restroom energy efficient primarily involves managing water consumption and lighting. Follow these tips to make your restroom as energy efficient as possible.
- Fix leaks. A leaky faucet wastes water—up to 20 gallons a day—and if your bathroom sinks are dripping hot water, you may be spending hundreds of dollars heating water that’s going down the drain.
- Install aerators. Low flow aerators cut your water use with no impact on customer experience.
- Consider installing low-flow toilets. Commercial low-flow toilets can save 1.9 gallons per flush, or up to 15,000 gallons per year.
- Implement a shut-down schedule. This will help ensure that lights aren’t left on when the restaurant isn’t in use.
- Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. Some restaurateurs prefer not to use CFLs in their dining rooms, citing a lack of atmosphere—but chances are, you don’t need quite that much atmosphere in your restroom.
- Use recycled paper towel and toilet paper. This may not reduce your restaurant’s energy costs directly, but it certainly will help reduce your overall carbon footprint.
Have you taken steps to make your restrooms more energy efficient? What worked—and what didn’t ? Share your thought in the comments.
(Is a tankless hot water heater a good choice for your restaurant restrooms? Take a look at our Rebates page for more info.)
Image credit: Kojach
