In central London, many restaurants cannot put an air-cooled condenser outside. Council planning and noise rules, listed buildings, landlords and simple lack of space often make it impossible. So the refrigeration is cooled with water-cooled condensers running on mains water: clean, metered water flows through the condenser, picks up the heat and goes straight down the drain.
It works, but it is expensive. Some London restaurants pay up to £5,000 a quarter for water used mainly to keep their cold rooms, freezers and fridges cold. And while that warm water is poured away, the same restaurant pays again to heat water for its kitchen, wash-up and washrooms.
UK Coldroom has developed a better way, and it is already working in a central London restaurant.
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Why water-cooled refrigeration costs so much
A refrigeration system does not destroy heat. It moves heat out of your cold room and gets rid of it at the condenser. An air-cooled condenser uses outdoor air for that. A water-cooled condenser uses water, and when that water comes from the mains and goes to the drain, you pay for it in two ways:
- Water supply. Every litre that runs through the condenser is metered.
- Wastewater. Sewerage charges are normally based on the water you use, so the same litre is charged again on the way out.
The compressors run for most of a busy trading day, and in summer they run harder. That is why the bill climbs so quickly, and why it is highest in exactly the months when restaurants are busiest.
The heat you pour away is the heat you pay to make
Look at it from the other side. The same kitchen needs a lot of hot water: pot wash, dishwasher fill, cleaning, hand-wash basins and staff washrooms. That water is heated by gas or electricity, all day long.
So most of these restaurants are doing two expensive things at once: paying for water to carry heat away, and paying for energy to make heat for their hot water.
The idea in one sentence
Instead of washing your condenser heat down the drain with mains water, we put it into the hot water your business already needs.
The principle of recovering heat from refrigeration is well known. What we have developed is a way to make it work reliably for London restaurants on water-cooled systems, without risking the cooling and without adding an outdoor unit.
What our system does for you
- Your condenser heat heats your hot water. Kitchen, wash-up, cleaning and washroom water is warmed by heat your refrigeration produces anyway.
- Mains water used for cooling drops sharply. Far less clean water goes down the drain.
- Cooling always has priority. Your cold rooms, freezers and fridges come first, whatever the hot water demand.
- Built for London sites. No new outdoor condenser, no planning battle over noise, and it fits basements and plant rooms.
A real result
A central London restaurant on a mains water-cooled system cut its water costs from £5,300 to £1,200 a quarter, and now gets hot water from its refrigeration as well. (Customer name withheld.)
That is more than three-quarters off the water bill, before counting the energy saved on heating water.
Good for London, not only for your bills
London’s water supply is under pressure: the Environment Agency classes the Thames Water area as seriously water stressed. A restaurant that stops sending clean drinking water down the drain to cool its fridges is also doing something useful for the city, and many customers notice that.
Central London and outer London
Central London: the restaurants with the least outdoor space and the strictest rules are usually the ones on mains water-cooled condensers, and the ones with the highest water bills. They have the most to gain.
Outer London and the suburbs: more sites can use air-cooled condensers, but the heat is still thrown away into the air. Adding heat recovery gives a similar benefit: hot water from heat you have already paid to remove.
Who it suits
Restaurants, hotels, takeaways, commercial kitchens, food production, butchers and bakeries: any business with refrigeration running all day and a steady need for hot water.
Safe and compliant
- Designed to the HSE Legionella guidance (ACoP L8 and HSG274).
- Drinking water kept fully separate from refrigerant.
- Refrigeration work carried out by a REFCOM F-Gas certified company.
Is your site paying for water it pours away?
Send us your last two water bills and a photo of your refrigeration plant. We will tell you whether your site is suitable and what it could save.
Request a system review or call free on 0800 772 0333.
Design your cold room online with Yutab
Yutab is the UK Coldroom online cold room designer. It is free to use and takes no payment. Draw your room, save it, download the PDF design sheet and send it to our engineers. Mention water and energy savings in your message.
See our refrigeration maintenance contracts, our air conditioning and heat pump service and our service work across London.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my restaurant’s water bill so high?
If your refrigeration uses water-cooled condensers on mains water, clean water runs through them and down the drain whenever the compressors run, and you usually pay sewerage charges on it too. In a busy kitchen that can be most of the day.
Will this affect my fridges or freezers?
No. Cooling always has priority over hot water.
Do I need an outdoor unit?
No new outdoor condenser is needed. That is why it suits central London sites where outdoor units are not allowed.
Can it be added to my existing system?
In many cases, yes. We check your plant and water use first.