Regulations governing equipment specified for commercial kitchen ventilation/extraction
As an architect or M& E consultant, you will be aware that certain regulations govern the equipment specified for commercial kitchen ventilation/extraction. You may have experienced delays due to requests for more information when you have submitted documents to your local council for planning permission. Under Article 33 of the planning and development regulations 2001, as amended, local authorities frequently request more information regarding the ventilation and filtration systems being specified to control the quality of the air, odours, noise etc that will be discharged from commercial kitchen premises.
Below we list the Regulations Governing the Equipment being Specified for Commercial Kitchen Ventilation/Extraction.
Section 24 – Air Pollution Act 1987
Under section 24 of the Air Pollution Act 1987, it states;
“The occupier of any premises shall use best practicable means to limit, and if possible, to prevent an emission from such premises”. and “The occupier of any premises shall not cause or permit an emission in such a quantity, or such a manner, as to be a nuisance.”
In terms of the regulations of the system itself, to assist food businesses in selecting an appropriate system, Irish Local Authorities use the DEFRA guidance document.
DEFRA Guidance Kitchen extraction systems Document
DEFRA Guidance Kitchen extraction systems Document, Guidance on the Control of Odour and Noise from Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems January 2005 is a UK guidance document but is accepted as general compliance with the Irish Air Pollution Act 1987.
BESA (Building and Engineering Services Association) DW172 Specification for Kitchen Ventilation Systems
The BESA (Building and Engineering Services Association) DW172 Specification For Kitchen Ventilation Systems document sets out minimum requirements in terms of ventilation extract rates and canopy details to ensure that odours and grease from cooking activities can be captured and treated prior to discharge.
Ecodesign of Energy Related Products Directive 2009
The Ecodesign of Energy Related Products Directive 2009 is European Legislation aimed at improving the Environmental Performance of products that use energy or are related to energy consumption. This should be considered when selecting fans with an electrical power input between 125W and 350kW.
Why Ventilation Systems for Larger Buildings May Cause Extra Difficulty
Specifying ventilation systems for larger buildings (or buildings with a complex layout) may cause extra difficulty. Siting of External Louvre Grilles is a consideration because of the location of windows, air intake grilles etc that would give way to the expelled air re-entering the premises. Kitchen ventilation systems are often required to exhaust above the roof line. Depending on the location of the kitchen within the building this can be an extremely costly exercise. Additional building elements such as vertical duct risers that meet the EN standards for fire safety EN13501-3 and EN1366-1 (in the case of access doors) and fire shafts may need to be installed which are not only expensive and time consuming, but they also waste a lot of space that could be better served being dedicated to the customer experience. Where a fire shaft is not available, the ductwork should be insulated as it passes through other compartments of the building to mitigate the risk of fire in these other locations.
Commercial Kitchen Emissions in Urban Areas May be Subject to Local Resident Objections
Often commercial food service establishments such as hotels, pubs, restaurants, delicatessens and bakeries will be near to private homes and apartments in urban areas. The fact that the emission of cooking fumes and odours often starts from the early hours of the morning may cause an issue for residents close to such emissions. This is often an extra headache that needs careful consideration when designing the kitchen ventilation system to avoid foreseeable difficulties in the planning permission process. As you will know, the ventilation system layout you are specifying must comply with the system load conditions: for example, a high presence of fumes and odours caused by frying or cooking on the grill requires a higher filtering system compared to other cooking methods.
See our Ventilation For Healthcare Facilities page here.
How can ACS Ventilation Group help?
At ACS Ventilation Group, we are the sole distributor in Ireland, the UK and co-distributor in UAE of a kitchen exhaust filtration unit known as EcoKitchen. EcoKitchen is manufactured by Expansion Electronic in Italy.
EcoKitchen’s filtration system is of a higher spec than any other filtration system currently available in Ireland.
The properties of EcoKitchen mean that many of the planning permission difficulties listed above will be eliminated. Current customers of ours have reported that the planning permission process incurred no delays and queries when they specified EcoKitchen.
If you would like to discuss your commercial kitchen ventilation needs or to arrange a site survey, contact us today
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