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How to keep your pub cellars energy efficient...part 3 of our energy saving guide
Keep a tight cellar
In fact, let’s start with that cellar door. OK, so we’ve opened it in order to step down the steps, but that should be the only time it’s open. Make sure everyone – staff and suppliers alike – shut it when they've finished. Better yet, get the doors insulated. That way you can further prevent any heat seepage. The main issue in the cellar is likely to come from the air conditioning units. The main thing is to simply turn off the air conditioning when it’s not needed, for instance outside of opening hours. Regularly check and clean your coolers or air conditioning units and ensure fluid levels are maintained Ensure your air conditioning system is regularly serviced (which may in itself be a legal requirement) and try to maintain them yourself, between services. For instance, energy efficiency will be affected by blocked filters. Equally, don’t have the air con on at the same time as the heating system, as they will simply cancel one another out and cost you a packet. You might also want to think about the equipment that produces heat – perhaps counter-intuitively these include white goods such as fridges and freezers, which create heat in the process of keeping their own contents cool. Try to keep such equipment elsewhere, other than the cellar.Natural air conditioning
The right option is to let nature do the work for you, and pay your bills. Use ventilation grills to naturally cool the cellar with outside air, and encourage the air to move around the cellar and keep it chilled. Also, keep those ventilation grills clean, to help the air circulate around the room. And don’t over do things. Ideally you’re looking at around 12° C, or 20°F for an ambient temperature. You don’t need anything lower… unless you are harbouring a colony of escaped penguins. Finally, a word of advice is not merely to take these thoughts on board yourself, but to communicate what you are trying to do with the staff in the pub. Getting them on side, and focusing their attention on the changes you are implementing will ultimately help the success of the moves that you make.Published by Utility Helpline on
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