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University of Warwick: Reducing Fan Energy Consumption by 65%
With three campus kitchens supporting daily catering, conferences, weekends and university holiday periods, the University of Warwick identified an opportunity to reduce the energy required to operate its kitchen ventilation.
Quintex was brought in to assess how Cheetah Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) could reduce unnecessary fan energy consumption while maintaining the ventilation performance required across the university's catering operations.
Following installation across all three campus kitchens, Warwick achieved a 65% reduction in energy consumption, delivering significant annual energy, carbon and financial savings.
Project at a glance:
- Kitchens: 3 campus kitchens
- Solution: Cheetah Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation
- Energy reduction: 65%
- Annual energy saving: 341,062 kWh
- Annual cost saving: £21,000
- Annual carbon saving: 122 tonnes
- Payback period: 2.10 years
The Challenge
The University of Warwick's catering facilities support breakfast, lunch and dinner services throughout term time, with additional demand from conferencing activities during weekends and university holidays.
As a result, kitchen activity can vary significantly depending on the time of day, day of the week and academic calendar.
The ventilation systems, however, were operating for extended periods regardless of the level of cooking taking place. This meant fans could continue consuming energy during quieter periods when maximum ventilation was not required.
Warwick wanted to reduce this unnecessary energy consumption while demonstrating clear and measurable financial and environmental benefits.
A strong return on investment was also important, with the university seeking funding through Salix, which provides public-sector financing for qualifying energy-saving projects.
The Solution
Cheetah Demand-Controlled Kitchen Ventilation was installed across all three campus kitchens.
Rather than operating at the same fan speeds throughout the day, Cheetah automatically adjusts ventilation according to actual cooking activity.
During periods of high cooking demand, fan speeds increase to provide the required ventilation. As activity reduces, fan speeds automatically decrease. When little or no cooking is taking place, the system can operate at minimum speeds.
This approach was particularly suited to Warwick's catering operation, where demand naturally changes between breakfast, lunch and dinner services, as well as across term-time, weekends, conferences, and university holidays.
By allowing ventilation to respond to how each kitchen is actually being used, Cheetah reduces unnecessary fan operation while continuing to support the ventilation requirements of the kitchens.
The Results
Following the installation of Cheetah across the three kitchens, the University of Warwick achieved a 65% reduction in energy consumption.
- 65% reduction in energy consumption
- 341,062 kWh energy saved annually
- £21,000 annual energy cost savings
- 122 tonnes of carbon saved annually
- 2.10 years payback period
Key Benefits
The benefits of reducing unnecessary fan operation extend beyond energy and cost savings.
Operating fans at lower speeds when full ventilation is not required can also reduce wear on fans and motors, potentially helping to lower maintenance requirements and extend equipment lifespan.
For Warwick, the project therefore provides both an immediate reduction in energy consumption and a longer-term opportunity to improve the efficiency of its catering facilities.
The Cheetah installation across Warwick's three campus kitchens has delivered:
1. Automatic adjustment of ventilation according to actual kitchen demand
2. Reduced unnecessary fan operation during quieter periods
3. A measurable return on investment supporting Salix funding
4. Opportunity to reinvest savings into further university energy projects