Heating & Air Conditioning for Restaurants
Serving the Kansas City Metro and Johnson County areas.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is essential for indoor comfort across Kansas City. Residential and commercial HVAC systems have many similarities, but restaurant heating and air conditioning have unique challenges that demand unique solutions. By identifying the specific conditions restaurants deal with on a daily basis, our expert technicians understand why certain modifications and additional components are necessary for comfort in the kitchen as well as the dining area.
Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing provides commercial HVAC services to a variety of industries throughout the Kansas City metro and Johnson County area—contact us online for a free estimate!
Restaurant-Specific HVAC Challenges
- Poor ventilation: Traditional ventilation involves opening a window or door to allow fresh outside air to replace stale, humid inside air. Unfortunately, this tactic does not always coincide with food and safety regulations, and it’s a huge energy waster unless the weather is perfect outside. After all, winter air is cold and puts additional strain on the heating equipment. Summer air is hot and humid, and introduces heat and moisture to an already sweltering kitchen. To maintain a comfortable interior, HVAC equipment must heat and cool the air while also removing excess moisture through ventilation.
- Fluctuating temperature demands: Picture a mild winter day outside your restaurant. At opening, the entire building may require heating for comfort. As guests pour in during the busy lunch or dinner rush, heating is still needed for the dining area, lobby, and restrooms, but the kitchen is overheated and requires air conditioning. The rush dies down near closing, and heating is needed throughout the building once more. These fluctuating temperature demands require special HVAC equipment.
- Air quality control: Restaurant kitchens produce a far higher level of pollution and airborne contaminants than the average commercial building. Cooking sends fumes, grease, food particles and smoke into the air, all of which can enter the HVAC equipment and gunk up the inner workings, thus impairing its performance.
Unique HVAC Solutions for Restaurants
The air quality and comfort level within your restaurant depends on your HVAC system. Look for a solution that offers these features:
- Heat or energy recovery ventilation: In a balanced ventilation system, indoor air is strategically replaced with outdoor air. As incoming and outgoing airstreams pass one another, heat (and humidity in the case of energy recovery ventilation) is transferred from one stream to the other without the air itself mixing. This allows fresh air to enter without the same energy-wasting effect of simply opening a window or door.
- Temperature control through ventilation: When the weather is right outside, specialized ventilation equipment for commercial kitchens can heat or cool the air with ventilation. For example, when it’s cold outside and the kitchen starts heating up, the system senses an opportunity to cool the space by bringing in air from outside. When indoor and outdoor temperatures reach certain levels, mechanical heating and cooling equipment automatically kick in to maintain optimal comfort at the lowest cost possible.
- Variable exhaust controls: The kitchen exhaust system is an integral part of any restaurant HVAC system. Variable exhaust controls are a smart way to reduce energy use and decrease equipment wear and tear. The kitchen hoods sense the level of contamination in the air and adjust fan speeds accordingly throughout the day.
- Reduced kitchen airflow: While heating, cooling and ventilation are all necessary, the goal is to keep airflow at a minimum to help exhaust hoods function more effectively. Specialized HVAC equipment cuts airflow in half to provide the energy savings and more efficient exhaust performance you desire.
At Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we’re experienced with providing commercial HVAC solutions to restaurant owners across the Kansas City Metro area and Johnson County.
If you’re looking for ways to save money and stay more comfortable in your restaurant, please contact us today for more information.
