In the commercial kitchen the dishwasher is one of the biggest workhorses and one of the most essential pieces of equipment for the successful and problem free running of any foodservice business.

Lately dishwashers have been under the spotlight because of the focus on more environmentally friendly and cost effective equipment that offers water and energy savings, as well as chemical savings for foodservice operators. Pressure has been steadily building for hospitality and foodservice businesses—particularly large hotels and convention centres—to take action to minimise usage of water and energy.

Dishwashers are one of the greediest machines in the commercial kitchen when it comes to water consumption, from the undercounter machines used in smaller food service operations up to the large flight or rack machines used at hotels and convention centres.

There have been major developments in dishwasher technology that have drastically reduced water use and energy use, developments that can deliver good returns for foodservice operators. The latest leading recirculating machines can use as little as 2.4 litres per cycle com pared to six times that for older machines. As well as cost savings on water usage, less water also mean less chemical usage. And the technology continues to develop—Hobart Food Equipment has confirmed it’s planning to launch new dishwashers later this year that use less than two litres per cycle.

As well new heat exchange technology means the top machines now work on cold water, capturing the machine’s own heat to heat the water. Plus major work has been done on continuing to improve filtration systems to filter small food particles that can effect the cleaning result. As well, better insulation also means better heat retention.

“The first major savings that have come in the last couple of years are in the amount of water they don’t use,” says Brett Duffy, Comcater’s national product manager in Australia for the Winterhalter brand, and vice president of the Australian Hospitality Warewashing Association (AHWA).

“The Winterhalters are at the moment running on 2.4 litres every time you run a cycle whereas some machines are still around four litres. The less water you use the less chemical you use, the less chemical is going down the drain. And if you use less water it is less water that you have to heat and that is saving energy.”

“Another development is that a lot of dishwashers and glass washers can run on cold water. They use the heat generated inside the machine which is normally wasted when you lift the hood. With our machine you are saving up to 6kw per hour in electricity.”

The AHWA is now working towards the launch later this year of a national industry rating system for commercial dish washers in Australia. It means those manufacturers who participate will be rated and be able to display their results, making it easier for potential buyers to compare claims for machines. The project, being funded by Sydney Water, will provide a five star rating system similar to that which has long been offered for consumer appliances.

Francisco Alvarenga, chief steward at Sydney’s Hilton hotel and president of the AHWA, says the new rating system will allow operators to make better decisions. “Right now everyone is claiming they have the most efficient machines and it is very hard to make a judgement from our perspective as to which one is best,” says Alvarenga.

“It is difficult and I think that is where a lot of bad decisions have been made in the past. I think people only look at the initial dollar value instead of the long term value.”

Demand for greener machinery is continuing to intensify, says Brian Lennox, of hospitality consultancy the Sangster Design Group. “The demand is coming from CEOs and organisations who are financing projects,“ says Lennox. “They say we are happy to spend the money if it gives a green solution and a payback.”

While Lennox says many of the company’s clients are larger operations from licensed clubs to nursing homes, small er operators are also willing to invest the extra cost of the newer machines once they see the value, including the potential for long term savings. “You walk into old pubs, especially in the country, and they have the old wash and dump glass washers that go through 12 litres of water per cycle, that’s nine litres difference as a payback and they come around,” he says.

When making a decision about investing in new dishwasher systems, the experts say the first requirement has to be dependability and backup. “Quite often the dishwasher can be the single most ex pensive piece of cooking equipment— and it is the biggest workhorse of the kitchen,” says Andrew Frost from food service consultants, Cini Little Australia.

“Every one says you have to save water etc and that’s right but most importantly you need a dishwasher that works. Does it wash? What support do you get and how quickly does the support arrive? How much does the support cost? Once you establish those basic requirements you can start looking at energy efficiencies,” he says.

“Go and visit sites that are using the equipment because for all the claims of energy conservation, chemical conservation, and heat recovery the bottomline is people need a machine that washes their dishes and keeps on working.”