We do! But not enough... As we develop the restaurant space, there are several important utilities that must be up to code and in adequate supply to support the energy and plumbing needs of a medium to large sized restaurant. Nearly every business needs electricity and water, but not many need gas. Fortunately, most existing buildings in San Francisco use gas for heat, so many spaces are equipped with a gas meter and lines in. However, the gas needs for a restaurant with a full kitchen far exceed that of most gas heaters.
After speaking with PG&E, they informed me the the important upgrade is a larger gas meter, which allows a business to pump larger amounts of gas for their needs. The magic number that determines how large of a meter is necessary is the total "Gas Load", usually measured in thousands of BTU's (British Thermal Units) per hour (abbreviated "Kbtu/hr"). Gas Load is easy enough to determine, if you know what equipment you plan to install. Most manufacturers supply a spec sheet for each piece of equipment that indicates important numbers such as energy use, exact dimensions, accessory options, etc. Here's a good example from Montague, one of the more popular (and high-end) commercial equipment makers: http://www.montaguecompany.com/PDFs/MON0013.PDF
The model we chose requires 70,000 btu/hr, or 70 Kbtu/hr. By adding up the Gas Load for each appliance in our hot line, we get to roughly 457 Kbtu/hr. Chances are we will need a larger gas meter, but we will find out when PG&E visits next week!
More on Electricity and Water next time....
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An honest account of the trials, tribulations and excitement of opening a restaurant in San Francisco, CA
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