Solving two problems at once

• Family-run restaurant made saving about € 6 000 annually from heat waste generated by ovens, fridges, etc.
• Kitchen staff benfit from more pleasant working conditions

The busy restaurant La Trattoria in the centre of Midleton employs 23 staff and is open seven days a week. As in any restaurant, the kitchen in La Trattoria is a hotbed of activity. With all the cooking it gets very hot and previously an extraction fan needed to be running all day to bring the temperature down. At the same time, the restaurant was spending over € 9 000 annually on oil heating for hot water and ventilation.

After identifying these two problems as a connected issue, La Trattoria decided to use the heat from the kitchen in a sustainable way. They installed a heat recovery unit which takes the hot extracted air from the kitchen and uses it to heat water.

Key results

The total cost of installation, which included the extraction ducting, the heat exchanger and hot water tank was € 6 000. Thanks to this system, the oil bill has been reduced to € 3 000, resulting in an annual saving of € 6 000. This measure led to a more pleasant working environment in the kitchen of La Trattoria and better working conditions their staff.