Restaurant and commercial kitchen HVAC
Kitchens move a lot of air. We design exhaust and makeup air that keeps the cooks comfortable, keeps smoke out of the dining room and meets fire code.
When you need it
- You’re opening a new restaurant or converting a space to food service.
- The kitchen is too hot, or smoke drifts into the dining room.
- Doors are hard to open or whistle because the building is under negative pressure.
- You’re changing the cooking line or adding appliances under the hood.
What we do
Review the menu and line
Exhaust needs depend on what’s cooked and on which appliances, so we start with the cooking line.
Size exhaust and makeup air
We size the hoods and fans to capture smoke and grease, and supply matching makeup air so the building stays balanced.
Design for comfort
We design the dining room heating and cooling to handle the heat and air the kitchen draws away.
Balance and verify
After installation, we measure exhaust and makeup air and adjust them so the building pressure is right.
What you receive
- A ventilation design and permit drawings
- An exhaust and makeup air balance report
- Recommendations on hood operation and energy use
Questions
Why is makeup air so important?
Every cubic metre of air the hood exhausts has to be replaced. Without enough makeup air the building goes negative: doors are hard to open, hoods capture smoke poorly and gas appliances can vent badly.
Which code applies to kitchen exhaust?
Provincial building codes adopt NFPA 96 for commercial cooking ventilation, and the article numbers vary by province. Hoods themselves are listed to Canadian product standards such as CAN/ULC 646.
Can kitchen ventilation use less energy?
Yes. Demand-controlled ventilation slows the exhaust and makeup air fans when the line isn’t cooking at full load, and heating the makeup air efficiently cuts winter costs.
Further reading
- Exhaust system design for commercial buildings
A practical overview of commercial exhaust systems: required exhaust rates, fan types and locations, discharge and re-entrainment, makeup air and code requirements.
- Make-up air units: direct-fired and indirect-fired
Learn how direct-fired and indirect-fired make-up air units heat outdoor air, the code and safety rules that limit where each can be used, and how to size and control them for kitchens, warehouses and industrial spaces.
- Commercial kitchen ventilation and NFPA 96
Learn how kitchen exhaust hoods, grease ducts, fans, fire suppression and make-up air work together, what NFPA 96 requires, and how to keep a kitchen system safe and balanced.
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Get a quote for restaurant and commercial kitchen HVAC
Tell us about the building and what you need. We’ll be in touch within one hour.