7 Ways to Save Money on Restaurant and Pub Energy Bills
Rising energy costs continue to put pressure on hospitality businesses, making it more important than ever to manage consumption effectively. Whether you run a restaurant, pub, bar or café, taking a proactive approach can help reduce costs and protect profitability.
Sean Connaughton, Consultant at Auditel, shares seven practical ways to save money on restaurant business energy bills and pub energy costs, from eliminating waste and improving efficiency to reviewing contracts and benchmarking suppliers.
1. Make it visible
Before making changes, get a clear picture of how energy is used across your site. The biggest wins often come from simply identifying waste.
Many businesses don’t realise when or where they’re using energy inefficiently, so review it during trading and non-trading hours.
Check overnight consumption and identify spikes linked to specific equipment or shifts. Even basic monitoring can uncover inefficiencies that can be fixed quickly.
2. Eliminate no-cost energy waste
The fastest way to reduce bills is by tackling waste that requires no investment. Businesses can be unknowingly wasting energy overnight so that’s one of the quickest areas to address without spending a penny.
Turn off unused kitchen and bar equipment, ensure extraction systems aren’t running unnecessarily, maximise natural light and introduce clear shutdown procedures.
These small operational changes can deliver immediate savings.
3. Optimise your biggest costs
Heating is typically the largest energy expense in hospitality, so it’s a key area to control.
The smallest adjustments – reducing thermostat settings slightly, servicing boilers regularly, avoiding heating unused areas and using zoning to control temperatures across spaces – can have a huge impact.
4. Take control of your energy contracts
Many operators don’t know when their energy contracts renew – and missing notice periods can mean being locked into costly extensions.
Create a contracts register for gas and electricity that includes supplier details, end dates and notice periods. These often differ, so visibility is key.
A quick annual review – set an afternoon aside to do it – can prevent automatic renewals and give you the opportunity to renegotiate or switch to better rates.
5. Benchmark the market
Staying with the same supplier without testing the market is a common mistake.
Regularly benchmark your energy costs and remind yourself what competitive pricing looks like. Going out to tender with just two or three suppliers can uncover better rates and improved contract terms.
It’s not just about price but also flexibility and certainty in a volatile market.
6. Use brokers wisely
Energy is one of the hardest costs to manage, and a good broker can add real value by monitoring the market, running tenders and advising when to lock in rates. We’re seeing savings of between 9% and 27% against previous costs because they help venues avoid bad timing and bad contracts.
But the market is unregulated, so it’s wise to seek trusted or affiliated recommendations and to understand how brokers are paid, so you can ensure you have full visibility before signing any contract.
7. Make energy everyone’s responsibility
Long-term savings depend on behaviour, too. Staff habits around equipment use and shutdown routines play a critical role in reducing consumption.
Clear processes, accountability and regular reminders can make a significant difference without affecting service.
Businesses that embed energy awareness into daily operations will be far better positioned to handle future volatility.
Restaurant and Pub Energy Saving Checklist
A long-term mindset from staff and management is vital to beat soaring prices
Staff
- Assign energy responsibility to a team member
- Create simple opening and closing checklists
- Share energy-saving goals with the team
- Encourage and reward efficiency ideas
Management
- Invest in energy-efficient equipment when upgrading
- Install monitoring tools for better data insights
- Explore low-carbon and efficiency technologies
- Build energy management into your overall business strategy
