Investing in new refrigerated workbenches: The right time

Significant energy savings in hotel kitchens

Energy costs are skyrocketing, especially in hotel kitchens where there are often several power-hungry refrigerated workbenches. "So now is the time to replace old refrigerated workbenches with new energy-efficient ones," says commercial manager Eric Harsta of Hakvoort Professional in Emmeloord, specialist in catering equipment and large-scale kitchen fittings.

How can we keep energy costs somewhat under control? And how do we avoid throwing away food because it is no longer fresh enough to serve? Actually, we need a bigger refrigerated workbench, but where do we get the space for that? These are common comments in many a professional kitchen. An answer to all these questions is provided by Zanussi Professional, Hakvoort Professional's flagship refrigerated workbenches. It is known as one of the best-performing and most energy-efficient refrigerated workbenches on the professional kitchen appliance market. 

Fast payback time

For many a hotel or restaurant kitchen, upgrading equipment is a wise move, especially at a time when energy efficiency is a hot topic. "Thanks to the energy label class A (i.c.w. climate class 5), customers receive an Energy Investment Allowance, or EIA for short, when purchasing a Zanussi Professional. This is a tax scheme through which the government supports companies in investing in energy-saving business equipment and renewable energy," Eric Harsta clarifies. He calculates the considerable energy savings possible with a refrigerated workbench with energy label class A: "Compared to an older refrigerated workbench with a G label, an electricity price of €0.21 per kW enables annual savings of €480. But at the current electricity price of €0.50, you're talking about annual savings of as much as €1,140.00! That means you can recoup the cost of a new refrigerated workbench like this in as little as two or three years. So now is the time to invest in new refrigerated workbenches. To give you an idea of the enormous energy efficiency of the Zanussi Professional: this A-label refrigerated workbench uses less energy than a 60-watt light bulb! What also contributes to energy efficiency is the excellent insulation of these refrigerated workbenches. The 90 mm thick insulated wall keeps the temperature down and this in turn minimises compressor activity." 

Climate class 5

Typically, refrigerated workbenches feature climate class 4 which perform optimally up to an ambient temperature of around 30 °Celsius. But Zanussi is one of the few brands that has tested its refrigerated workbenches to climate class 5, which keeps food fresh for much longer even at an ambient temperature of 40 °Celsius and 40% humidity, thereby reducing food waste. "This also makes the Zanussi Professional ideally suited to hotel kitchens," Eric Harsta knows. "After all, because these kitchens usually contain a lot of equipment, the ambient temperature often runs high. Thanks to a refrigerated workbench with climate class 5, food then remains preserved for an extra long time, even in the hottest and most intensively used kitchens. For a hotel kitchen, it is essential to have such refrigerated workbenches that perform optimally even under the harshest working conditions. With good reason, our loyal customer base also includes several hotel chains." 

Space saving

In professional kitchens, the available space is always a problem. According to Eric Harsta, this was also considered when designing the refrigerated workbench: "Thanks to its ingenious and particularly compact design, the Zanussi offers 50 litres extra net volume, which equates to 20 per cent more storage space than any other refrigerated workbench in its class. What's more, these workbenches save extra space because you can fit them tightly. Around them, they require no extra space, because thanks to the special construction of the motor unit, they only need ventilation at the front."