Food Service Businesses Are Saving Energy and Money

Meet the unique needs of your food service business with new, high-efficiency natural gas equipment. It’s a smart way to reduce operational expenses while keeping employees and customers satisfied. With increased energy efficiency, your establishment will also reduce your carbon footprint.

Washington Gas offers incentives and technical assistance to help cover the cost of your purchase and set you up to save for years to come. Popular equipment upgrades for food service customers include:

  • Ovens
  • Gas fryers
  • Griddles
  • Broilers
  • Kitchen demand ventilation controls
  • Commercial dishwashers
  • Water and space heating equipment
  • HVAC tune-ups
  • Spray rinse valves

Together, HVAC and cooking account for around 63% of the energy a restaurant uses. And restaurants use five to 10 times more energy per square foot compared to other commercial buildings. Upgrading to high-efficiency natural gas equipment such as ovens and dishwashers is one of the best ways to reduce operating costs while getting the reliability and performance your restaurant needs to operate at its best.

Additional benefits may include:

  • Shortened cook times and increased production
  • Greater equipment reliability
  • Less downtime from equipment failures

Eligible Businesses

For assistance with determining eligibility, work with a participating Service Provider or contact us.

Incentive-Eligible Equipment

Washington Gas can help make energy-efficient restaurant equipment more affordable. Food service customers get an average incentive of $1,489 per project. That’s equal to purchasing 696 14-ounce wine glasses.

An average-sized grocery store spends more than $200,000 annually on energy costs. By improving energy efficiency at your store, you can save energy and money while increasing customer satisfaction.

Additional benefits may include:

  • Greater equipment reliability
  • Less downtime from equipment failures

Eligible Businesses

For assistance with determining eligibility, work with a participating Service Provider or contact us.

Incentive-Eligible Equipment

Washington Gas offers incentives to help you cover the cost of high-efficiency natural gas equipment. Per project, grocery stores get an average incentive of $2,583—the equivalent of selling 747 gallons of milk or 1,009 loaves of bread.

From bars and breweries to convenience stores and more, the food service industry consumes roughly 2.5 times more energy per square foot than commercial office buildings. New, high-efficiency natural gas equipment can help you:

  • Lower your operating costs
  • Shorten cook times and increase production
  • Reduce heat and water losses
  • Have greater equipment reliability
  • Avoid downtime from equipment failures

Eligible Businesses

For assistance with determining eligibility, work with a participating Service Provider or contact us.

Incentive-Eligible Equipment

Washington Gas offers incentives to help you cover the cost of high-efficiency natural gas equipment. Small food and beverage businesses earn an average incentive of $1,643. That’s enough to purchase 77 pounds of artisanal flour.

Food Service

EQUIPMENTELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTINCENTIVE
Combination Oven

ENERGY STAR® certified

$2,200/unit

Commercial Fryer

ENERGY STAR certified

$900/unit
Convection Oven

ENERGY STAR certified

$600/unit
Rack Oven - Single

ENERGY STAR certified

$2,000/unit
Rack Oven - Double

ENERGY STAR certified

$3,500/unit

Conveyor Oven

Efficient, Preheat Energy ≤ 18,000 BTU

$1,500/unit

Gas Griddle - Single

ENERGY STAR certified

$600/unit

Gas Griddle - Double

ENERGY STAR certified

$900/unit

Steam Cooker ≤ 6 pans

ENERGY STAR certified

$500/unit

Steam Cooker > 6 pans

ENERGY STAR certified

$800/unit

Pre-Rinse Spray Valve

EPA WaterSense certified

$30/unit

Kitchen Demand Ventilation Controls 

≤ 7.5 HP

$200/HP

Commercial Dishwasher 

ENERGY STAR certified, building must use gas water heating 

$600/unit

Boiler Systems

EQUIPMENTCAPACITYEFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTINCENTIVE
Small Boiler Tier 1< 300 MBH

≥ 90%+ AFUE

$2.50/MBH
Small Boiler Tier 2< 300 MBH

≥ 92% AFUE

$3.00/MBH
Large Boiler

≥ 300 MBH and

 ≤ 5,000 MBH

≥ 94% TE$5.00/MBH

Linkageless Boiler Controls for Space Heating 

New Linkageless Control System for Boiler Burner

N/A$2.50/MBH

Boiler Cut out Control 

≤ 2,500 MBH

N/A$0.35/MBH

High Pressure Steam Trap

≥ 75 PSIG, Tested

N/A$400
Medium Pressure Steam Trap

≥ 15 PSIG and < 75 PSIG, Tested

N/A$250

Water and Space Heating

 

EQUIPMENT

 

ELIGIBLITY REQUIREMENT

 

EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

 

INCENTIVE

Small Furnace 

< 225 MBH

> 95% AFUE

$2.25/MBH
Large Furnace

≥ 225 and ≤ 500 MBH 

≥ 95% AFUE$2.75/MBH

Infrared Heater 

≤ 500 MBH 

N/A$3.00/MBH

Outdoor Air Reset 

New Outdoor Air Reset, 

≤ 1,000 MBH

N/A$0.50/MBH

Small Storage Water Heater 

≤ 75 MBH

≥ 0.66 UEF

$3.00/MBH
Large Storage Water Heater

> 75 MBH

≥ 94% TE$1.00/MBH

Volumetric Water Heater 

≤ 1,000 MBH≥ 86% TE$0.45/MBH

Small Tankless Water Heater   

≤ 200 MBH≥ 0.82 UEF$2.00/MBH
Large Tankless Water Heater> 200 MBH≥ 86% TE$2.00/MBH

Hybrid Water Heater 

> 400 MBH

≥ 94% TE$2.00/MBH

Multifamily Central Domestic Hot Water 

≥ 300 MBH and

≤ 3,000 MBH 

≥ 88% TE$4.00/MBH

Controls for Central Domestic Hot Water 

Kit for Gas-fired CDHW System

N/A

$750

 

Miscellaneous High-Efficiency Measures

EQUIPMENTELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTINCENTIVE

Smart Thermostat

ENERGY STAR® certified

$100/unit

Residential Gas Dryer 

ENERGY STAR certified

$75/unit

Ozone Laundry 

New Ozone Laundry System 

$15/LB 

Gas Fired Pool Heater 

Efficient commercial pool and spa heater, indoor or outdoor (≥ 84% TE) 

$2,000/unit

HW Pipe Wrap 

(1 - 2 in. thick) 

≥ 1" of insulation for Indoor Pipes; ≥ 2" of insulation for Outdoor Pipes 

$2/ft 

HW Pipe Wrap 

(2 - 4 in. thick) 

≥ 1" of insulation for Indoor Pipes; ≥ 2" of insulation for Outdoor Pipes 

$3/ft 

Water Heater Wrap 

≥ 1" of insulation for Indoor Tanks; ≥ 2" of insulation for Outdoor Tanks 

$45/unit

Small Business Furnace and Rooftop Unit Tune-up 

Inspect/clean/adjust furnace or rooftop unit and appurtenances for correct and efficient operation RTUs > 200 MBH and < 500 MBH at facilities less than 75,000 sq. ft. in size

$140

 

Let’s Get Started

We’re here to help. Washington Gas offers incentives and technical assistance to help you save. Follow these steps to receive incentives:

  1. Review your energy efficiency opportunities and eligibility.​
  2. Check that any new equipment would qualify for incentives.​
  3. Review our participating Service Providers and identify an installation contractor for your project OR ensure any non-participating installation contractor you’re working with registers with Washington Gas.
  4. Work with your participating Service Provider to submit your incentive application for pre-approval before purchasing new equipment or removing existing equipment.
  5. Work with your participating Service Provider and/or installation contractor to install your new equipment and submit the final paperwork.​
  6. Enjoy your savings

If you need support, contact a Washington Gas energy advisor or find a participating service provider.

Find a Service Provider

 

Sources: epa.gov, energystar.gov