Extraordinary washing results and no more need for extraction

Energy-efficient dishwashing with heat recovery

Dishwashers are energy guzzlers. Investing in an energy-efficient one is therefore worthwhile. "With a passthrough dishwasher with heat recovery, energy savings of up to 60 per cent are possible compared to conventional passthrough dishwashers," says commercial manager Eric Harsta of Hakvoort Professional from Emmeloord, specialist in catering equipment and large-scale kitchen equipment.

Flush kitchens sometimes seem like saunas. Full of steam, very hot and stuffy. The cause? The heat from the dishwasher released during each washing cycle. The humid air then has to be extracted with an extractor fan or condensation hood. "Much smarter is to re-use that heat - which the machine produces anyway," says Harsta. "Dishwashers with heat recovery do just that and combat steam. Our pass-through dishwasher from Zanussi Professional with the built-in Energy Saving Device (ESD) uses the heat produced by the machine to preheat the added water to 50°C. This avoids having to heat the cold water all the way through, saving energy. Additional advantage: much less steam is released, making separate extraction unnecessary. This also saves energy."

To wash more economically as well as cleaner, Zanussi's dishwashers are equipped with the latest technical gadgets. Harsta lists the most important innovations: "An advanced filter system keeps the wash water clean of food residues and improves the effect of the detergent. This reduces the need to change the washing water. An atmospheric boiler ensures a constant rinsing temperature of 84°C regardless of the water pressure. This ensures exceptional washing results and thorough disinfection of the machine - which in turn is beneficial for a longer lifespan. On top of this, the Zanussi uses just 2 litres of clean water for each rinse cycle. By comparison, the market standard is 2.5 to 3 litres. The speed at which you can operate this pass-through dishwasher is also unique: just 45 seconds per wash cycle. That equates to around 1440 plates and 80 baskets per hour, so it saves a huge amount of time."

Zanussi's passthrough dishwashers are easy to use and maintain. But it doesn't stop there. The heat-recovery machines are also equipped with automatic descaling. "This ensures complete removal of limescale, the biggest enemy in sink kitchens," says Harsta. "This particular innovation allows the parts in contact with water - in particular the heating elements - to be kept in perfect condition, as if they were new. This guarantees the best technical performance. It also prevents unnecessarily higher energy consumption due to limescale."

As a specialist in professional kitchen equipment, Hakvoort Professional is on the road a lot in the hotel industry. For this sector, where kitchens are usually used intensively, a dishwasher with heat recovery is currently the most sustainable choice. Harsta explains why. "With a Zanussi dishwasher with ESD module, energy savings of as much as 60 per cent are possible and savings on dishwasher detergent of up to 32 per cent. Because thanks to the reduced use of water, a smaller amount of dishwasher detergent is needed. The latter is also essential, as such chemicals are becoming increasingly expensive. Thus, according to calculations carried out by LAB Electrolux Professional, all in all, annual savings of up to 1,000 euros are possible." 

Finally, the commercial manager has a practical tip for leisure entrepreneurs: "The environmental friendliness of these innovative pass-through dishwashers is rewarded with the Energy Investment Allowance (EIA). This allows most of the purchase cost, namely EUR 5,000, to be charged to gross profit. That makes a significant difference to the investment cost."