DLH for Public Houses and Restaurants
Pubs and restaurants rely heavily on refrigeration, cellar cooling, air conditioning, and kitchen cooling systems that run for long hours every day. In many venues, refrigeration is one of the largest electricity loads, while cellar cooling can also be a significant and continuous cost in pubs.
DLH helps pub and restaurant operators reduce avoidable energy waste across these systems without disrupting trading. There is no CAPEX, no major hardware programme, and no need to replace existing plant. DLH is delivered through OPEX and can be implemented remotely with minimal disruption, helping operators lower energy costs, reduce CO2 emissions, and improve plant performance
Illustrative savings
Single pub or restaurant site
Annual savings with DLH: £3,000-£12,000
Illustrative CO2 reduction: 4-16 tonnes
25-site pub or restaurant group
Annual savings with DLH: £75,000-£300,000
Illustrative CO2 reduction: 100-400 tonnes
100-site pub or restaurant chain
Annual savings with DLH: £300,000-£1.2m
Illustrative CO2 reduction: 400-1,600 tonnes
250-site national pub or restaurant estate
Annual savings with DLH: £750,000-£3.0m
Illustrative CO2 reduction: 1,000-4,000 tonnes
Illustrative assumption: DLH delivers a typical reduction in refrigeration, cellar cooling, and air conditioning energy use across hospitality sites, depending on plant condition, controls, operating hours, and estate profile. Restaurant refrigeration commonly accounts for a meaningful share of energy use, and pub cellar cooling is also a continuous operational load. [cite:2][cite:439][cite:409]
For larger hospitality chains, the commercial case is especially strong because relatively small per-site savings compound quickly across the estate. Reducing unnecessary compressor run time and smoothing plant operation can help reduce strain on refrigeration equipment, improve reliability, lower reactive maintenance, and support wider sustainability goals through lower CO2 emissions.