Reducing Energy Consumption in a Fast-food Restaurant through Smart Engineering Systems Management.
Fast-food restaurants operate with a high density of equipment and often experience excessive energy consumption, which directly impacts operating costs. At the same time, no optimisation measures can compromise service speed or food quality.
The Ecomanagement solution was implemented to monitor and optimise engineering systems, reducing energy consumption without interruption of business processes.
The Ecomanagement solution was implemented to monitor and optimise engineering systems, reducing energy consumption without interruption of business processes.
Facility and Initial Conditions
Facility type
High density of thermal and climate control equipment. Continuous peak loads during operating hours.
Area
400 m²
Initial energy consumption
29,000 kWh
The restaurant is equipped with multiple types of systems, each contributing to total energy consumption:
Kitchen equipment: fryers, warming units, etc.
Ventilation and air conditioning: supply and exhaust ventilation, fan coils
Refrigeration equipment
Dining area and kitchen lighting
Water heaters
Advertising and multimedia systems: illuminated signage, LCD panels, etc.
Context and Key Challenges
Fast-food restaurants operate in an environment with a high concentration of engineering and process equipment and constant peak loads. All systems are closely interconnected and directly affect both energy consumption and customer comfort.
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Key factors influencing the restaurant’s energy balance
Ventilation
accounts for up to 50–70% of heat and cooling losses
Solar radiation
significantly alters the thermal balance of the dining area throughout the day
Lighting
acts as an additional heat source
Climate control systems
often operate in conflicting modes
Refrigerated display
cases cool products while simultaneously generating heat due to lighting, defrost cycles and anti-fog systems
Systemic Issues in Engineering Systems Management
In most restaurants, equipment operating modes are poorly aligned with actual demand:
Ventilation and air conditioning do not account for CO₂ levels, humidity or real occupancy
Lighting is not adjusted based on daylight or customer presence
Kitchen equipment is switched on long before opening hours and often remains active overnight
Refrigeration systems are not aligned with actual temperature requirements
Some equipment remains powered on unnecessarily due to human error
Business Impact
As a result, engineering systems operate asynchronously, creating excessive electrical loads and increasing energy consumption. This overspend does not improve customer experience or service speed, but instead raises operating costs and operational risks.
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Monitoring and Control System
To move from assumptions to data-driven decisions, a detailed view of energy consumption by equipment type and time of day was required.
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A monitoring system with the following configuration was deployed:
72 current transformers
18 monitored pieces of equipment
4 air temperature and humidity sensors
1 router
4 CO₂ and illuminance sensors
3 relay modules
4 gateways for air conditioning systems
4 motion sensors
This configuration provided a detailed breakdown of energy consumption by system and time period.
Restaurant Energy Consumption Balance
The analysis revealed excessive energy consumption during non-operating hours across almost all engineering systems:
Thermal kitchen equipment (ovens, fryers)
Kitchen process equipment
Air conditioning and ventilation
Cold rooms and refrigerated display cases
Water heaters and lighting
This confirmed a high optimisation potential without any changes to production processes.
Optimisation of Operating Modes
Based on monitoring data, a reference consumption profile was created, reflecting correct and efficient operating modes.
The reference profile made it possible to:
Identify excess consumption
Night-time equipment operation with no staff present and premature start-ups before opening hours were detected.
Implement automatic control algorithms
Equipment is now switched on and off based on actual demand, minimising unnecessary consumption.
Ensure stable restaurant operations
Automated compliance with operating schedules reduces energy use, frees up managers’ time for operational tasks and lowers the risk of equipment failures.
Result:
Optimisation reduced excessive energy consumption, improved system reliability and enabled full equipment control without staff involvement.
Optimisation reduced excessive energy consumption, improved system reliability and enabled full equipment control without staff involvement.
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Examples of unauthorised equipment operation during night hours in the absence of staff were identified.
Operating modes of identical equipment in two restaurants during night hours
Additionally, monitoring made it possible to track changes in equipment start-up times, enabling better preventive maintenance planning, improved reliability and reduced risk of failures.
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Control over equipment on/off schedules also reduced energy consumption and freed up managers’ time for core operational activities.
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Ventilation Performance Results
Ventilation optimisation delivered the greatest impact:
Total savings
1,726 kWh per month
Exhaust systems
reduced by 25–41%
Supply ventilation
energy consumption reduced by up to 66%
These results were achieved by eliminating unnecessary operation and adapting system modes to actual demand.
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Overall Impact
Following the implementation of the Ecomanagement solution, the restaurant achieved:
Energy savings of 6,775 kWh per month
A 23% reduction in total energy consumption
A reduction in CO₂ emissions of 25 tonnes per year
Improved equipment reliability
Transparent energy analytics across all systems
Reduced operational risks without changes to business processes
The solution enabled the restaurant to reduce energy consumption without altering operational workflows, without staff involvement, and without impacting customer service speed.
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Contact us
Call us: +7 (495) 741-93-30
Email us: info@ecomanagement.pro
Email us: info@ecomanagement.pro
Energy efficiency management
Skolkovo Resident
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