I’m willing to bet that most restaurants could get away with a few AC window units in the kitchen rather than purchasing, cleaning, maintaining, and operating a massive commercial cooling system
I have to say, I’m not too upset with the way that the world is right now in post-pandemic land. As someone who suffers from social anxiety and occasional agoraphobia, I don’t have a big problem with staying indoors and avoiding other humans. I kind of enjoy the contactless grocery shopping and food delivery services that have suddenly cropped up because of this need for social distancing. I’m honestly wondering if the world will stay this way once coronavirus is eradicated. I’ve been thinking, a lot of businesses are probably saving a ton of money on their energy bills and HVAC expenses due to these business practice changes. Because restaurants haven’t been allowing people to dine in their facilities, I assume that they’ve been able to turn off their central heating and cooling systems for the most part. They don’t have to be so concerned about maintaining a cool and clean indoor environment with their ventilation systems because they don’t have any guests inside. I’m sure they still need to operate air conditioning systems and furnaces for the employees in the actual kitchen. However, this could be a much lower energy expense each month since the volume of indoor air is so drastically reduced. I’m willing to bet that most restaurants could get away with a few AC window units in the kitchen rather than purchasing, cleaning, maintaining, and operating a massive commercial cooling system. With so many businesses transitioning to outdoor to-go ordering, I have to assume that they’re more energetically efficient and less reliant on professional commercial HVAC repairs than ever before. Maybe we won’t ever go back to the old way of dining.