Operational intelligence could help commercial kitchens cut energy use

21 September 2026

An estimated £95 million was added to UK hospitality energy costs by this summer’s heatwaves, according to industry analysis, highlighting the potential for operators to reduce unnecessary consumption.

Commercial kitchen specialists Airedale Group says greater visibility over when and how kitchen equipment is being used could offer operators an opportunity to make immediate savings.

The company’s Lighthouse operational intelligence platform is already delivering energy reductions of as much as 4-5% in live QSR (quick-service restaurant) environments, in some cases equivalent to as much as £10,000 per site annually.

The platform gives multi-site operators equipment-level insight across their estates, helping them identify where energy is being wasted through issues such as equipment running outside expected hours, kitchens firing up too early or shutting down too late, and inconsistent operating practices between sites.

Airedale has highlighted four ways operational intelligence can help commercial kitchen operators identify and reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

Automate energy-saving behaviours
Operational intelligence can identify when equipment is being switched on too early, left running too late or operating when a site is closed. Lighthouse’s Power Pause functionality can then automate appropriate fire-up and fire-down schedules remotely, reducing unnecessary energy use and reliance on individual teams to follow processes consistently.

Identify the sites using more energy than they should
An energy bill can tell an operator how much energy a site has consumed, but it doesn’t necessarily explain what is driving it.

Cross-site benchmarking can help central teams compare locations, equipment performance and operating behaviours to identify where practices differ.

This can also highlight best-practice examples, allowing operators to understand why one site is performing more efficiently than another and apply those learnings across the wider estate.

Spot equipment inefficiencies earlier
Changes in equipment behaviour or usage patterns can be an early sign that attention is needed. Operational intelligence can flag these changes up to 90 hours in advance and highlight day-to-day issues, such as cleaning cycles not being completed as expected or refrigeration doors being left open longer than they should be. This allows operators to address potential issues before they lead to more significant maintenance problems or unnecessary energy consumption.

Understand exactly where kitchen energy is going
Rather than relying on energy bills, breakdown reports, and separate equipment portals, operators can access a single structured view of equipment health, energy usage and operational behaviour across their estate.

This gives central teams a clearer picture of where inefficiencies are occurring and where intervention could have the greatest impact.

Daniel Smith, group marketing director at Airedale Group, says:

“Reducing energy consumption doesn’t always require new equipment or significant investment. There are often savings to be made simply by understanding how existing equipment is being used.

Better visibility allows operators to identify unnecessary consumption and make practical changes that, when applied across an entire estate, can add up to significant savings.”