Going electric: overcoming the challenges of electrifying your kitchen

The momentum behind the shift to electric kitchens has been growing in recent years partly led by the focus on reducing carbon emissions. The traditional benefits around fast heat up times associated with large gas burners are now being replicated by advances in technology which have produced electric cooking appliances that are able to replicate a diverse range of cooking styles.

Electric kitchen equipment has always been available from standard standalone equipment to integrated modular ranges. Electrical appliances share similar construction and footprint sizes to match the equivalent gas models. Space is not usually an issue as most equivalent Electric equipment will fit within the original space of the equivalent gas version and in some cases may be slightly smaller.

Heavy duty electrical appliances will require a dedicated power supply and an electrician, or a commercial kitchen specialist should be consulted before deciding to move over to electric. Some commercial premises are already running at full electrical capacity, and you will need to ensure that there is enough electrical power being supplied to the premises to cope with the additional electrical load. If the Electrical supply needs upgrading and your electricity supplier needs to be contacted, this can be quite costly, and can take months to arrange. It must be noted that new electrical circuits and modifications to the existing electrical installation will have to comply with the latest electrical wiring regulations, and additional electrical safety features and devices may need adding.

If upgrading the power supply to the premises is prohibitive, there are other solutions which could be explored. There are specialist energy control devices available, which interlink with each piece of equipment and can control the peak load demand. These energy control devices can reduce peak power consumption by between 20% and 40% with a reduced total electrical cost of between 5% and 25%, and in some cases remove the need of upgrading the power supply.

Ventilation and extraction requirements should always be reviewed when replacing or adding equipment as the size and type of appliance dictates the extraction and ventilation requirements in a commercial kitchen. Extraction rates for an electrical appliance tend to be lower than that of an equivalent gas appliance and replacing a single gas appliance for an electric appliance does not normally require a change to the extraction or ventilation system in a kitchen. If the full installation is changing from gas to electric, or a piece of equipment is added, then additional work may be required to the extraction and ventilation system and additional measures may be needed to warm the kitchen working environment. A review of the ventilation and extraction should be carried out to the current version of DW172 specification for kitchen ventilation.

An appropriate gas safe registered technician will be required to disconnect redundant gas appliances and blank off the gas supply point ensuring your gas installation remains safe.

Advances in induction cooking has led to a rise in the electrification of professional kitchens. Increasing numbers of chefs are making the switch as they realise the advantages this new technology affords them. Induction hobs only generate heat when a pan is placed on them and switch off when the pan is removed. Induction technology is more efficient as heat is induced directly into the pan, and less energy is wasted in lost heat. Induction started off with the induction hob, but has expanded to include induction Woks, fryers, griddles and is a growing industry.

The future is likely to see further decentralisation of the power supply, including the growth of local, renewable power generation and increasing reliance on batteries.  Energy modulation systems will play a vital role in keeping the power flowing and will be an important factor in specifying professional kitchens of the future.

We would recommend that a commercial kitchen specialist should be consulted when considering alterations to a commercial kitchen as they are best placed to offer advice in this specialised area.

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