With new energy-efficient ice machines on the market from Manitowoc and Scotsman, restaurants and other businesses may find it easier to cut utility bills by upgrading to an Energy Star machine.
Non-energy-efficient ice machines use a large amount of water resources - some use an around-the-clock stream of water to produce and cool the ice. And they also drain energy: the average business that uses a commercial ice machine uses 11% of its refrigeration energy on the ice maker.
Air-cooled, cube-type commercial machines that meet Energy Star requirements are on average 10 percent more water-efficient and 15 percent more energy-efficient than standard models, writes appliance retailer CKitchen.
That translates to a savings of 10-15% on and about 1160KWh per year - or 2,700 gallons of water and about $110 of annual utility costs per year, compared to standard models.
Some cities, like New York, also charge businesses for sewage costs, so less water flowing out would mean additional savings. Many states, like California, Oregon, and Washington already require businesses to use water and energy-efficient ice machines.
See the Consortium for Energy Efficiencies breakdown of commercial ice-makers that meet the different tiers of requirements.
