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University of Greenwich: Reducing Fan Energy Consumption by 61.63%
With busy catering facilities operating across campus, the University of Greenwich identified an opportunity to reduce the energy used by kitchen ventilation without compromising the performance required for day-to-day catering operations.
Quintex installed Cheetah Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation across the University's Pilkington and Pembroke kitchens, enabling ventilation fan speeds to automatically respond to actual cooking activity.
The result has been a significant reduction in fan energy consumption, alongside measurable energy, carbon and cost savings.
The Challenge
Commercial kitchen activity can vary considerably throughout the day. However, traditional ventilation systems can continue operating at higher fan speeds even when cooking activity is reduced.
For the University of Greenwich, the Pilkington and Pembroke kitchens presented an opportunity to better match ventilation performance to actual kitchen demand.
The objective was straightforward: reduce unnecessary fan energy consumption while maintaining the airflow required for effective kitchen operation.
The Solution
Quintex installed Cheetah Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation across the two kitchens.
Rather than operating continuously at fixed speeds, the system automatically responds to changing conditions within the kitchen.
When demand is lower, fan speeds are reduced to avoid unnecessary energy consumption. As cooking activity increases, the system increases ventilation accordingly.
This allows the ventilation system to respond dynamically to the needs of the kitchen, rather than maintaining higher fan speeds when they are not required.
The Results
As of September 2026, the system has delivered measurable savings across the two kitchens:
- 61.63% reduction in fan energy
- 45,828.69 kWh energy saved to date
- 10.31 tonnes of CO₂ saved to date
- £11,457.17 in cost savings to date
The results demonstrate the potential of demand-controlled kitchen ventilation to significantly reduce fan energy consumption in busy university catering environments, where levels of cooking activity can change throughout the day.
Key Benefits
The University of Greenwich project demonstrates how demand-controlled kitchen ventilation can provide a practical approach to reducing energy consumption within university catering facilities.
By allowing ventilation to respond to actual kitchen demand, Cheetah has helped reduce fan energy consumption while continuing to provide the ventilation required for day-to-day kitchen operations.
For the University of Greenwich, the result is a measurable reduction in energy use, carbon emissions and operating costs across two busy campus kitchens.