Short answer: Compare filtration quotes only after aligning their design airflow, cooking duty, odour-risk assumptions, stage sequence, pressure losses, service clearances, controls, performance evidence, commissioning, consumables and maintenance. A lower price may exclude the fan upgrade, electrical work, access or carbon quantity that makes the system usable.
Quotes often use the same broad words—ESP, UV, carbon—while offering very different cell area, media mass, control scope and servicing. A structured comparison should turn each proposal into the same set of fields and identify “by others” items before selection.
Important: This guide explains design questions; it is not a product selection, planning approval or performance guarantee. A competent designer should assess the actual kitchen, air system, discharge and maintenance conditions.
Align the design basis first
If one supplier prices light-duty frying at 1.5 m³/s and another assumes a chargrill at 2.5 m³/s, the product totals cannot be compared. Issue one equipment schedule, airflow and receptor brief, then require departures and assumptions to be listed.
- Same appliance and menu schedule.
- Same airflow and operating hours.
- Same odour-risk objective.
- Same duct/discharge arrangement.
- Same current drawing revision.
Compare complete installed scope
Include casings, transitions, supports, lifting, power, controls, fan interlock, drains, fire interfaces, access panels and commissioning. Confirm whether the fan has been checked for resistance. A supply-only unit price is not the installed project cost.
- Delivery and craneage.
- Mechanical installation and sealing.
- Electrical and control wiring.
- Fan modifications and balancing.
- Builder’s work and making good.
Compare life-cycle obligations
Record cell-cleaning frequency, lamp life, carbon type/mass, replacement labour, service access and warranty conditions. Obtain realistic annual cost based on the proposed duty. The cheapest capital system can be the most expensive or least reliable if consumables are inaccessible or proprietary.
- Annual service visits.
- Spare-cell strategy.
- Lamp and carbon replacement.
- Waste/disposal costs.
- Downtime and response support.
What the observation may be telling you
| Observation | What it may mean | Correct next step |
|---|---|---|
| Headline airflow only | May be maximum rather than design duty | Request operating range and selected point |
| “Carbon included” | Media amount/capacity unknown | Request type, mass and arrangement |
| No pressure data | Fan impact hidden | Request clean and loaded resistance |
| Commissioning excluded | No proof of integrated performance | Price and assign testing |
| Maintenance “by client” | Future cost and method undefined | Obtain schedule and annual estimate |
A practical evidence workflow
Planning evidence and commissioning evidence answer different questions but should describe the same installed system. The first explains why the proposal should control impact; the second proves what was actually fitted and how it performed on the day of test.
- Freeze the operating brief. Record appliances, fuel, menu, hours, peak demand and delivery constraints. Note assumptions that may change, such as a future chargrill or later opening hours, because they can alter both treatment duty and planning risk.
- Issue a coordinated specification. Align the drawings, equipment schedule, treatment stages, duct route, discharge, access, acoustic measures, utilities, controls and maintenance requirements. Assign responsibility for every interface.
- Inspect before concealment. Photograph labels, access panels, fire-rated penetrations, drains, isolators, controls and service clearances. Resolve substitutions against the approved performance requirement rather than accepting a similar-looking unit.
- Commission and close out. Measure airflow and relevant pressure, electrical, water, gas, temperature or control values. Record test conditions, instruments and defects. Retest corrective work and provide the operator with the final evidence set.
Keep a useful record: Use a controlled index for drawings, calculations, product data, approvals, test sheets, certificates, photographs, training and maintenance information. Mark superseded versions clearly. A concise, traceable pack is stronger than hundreds of unindexed pages.
Project or service checks
- Create a side-by-side compliance schedule.
- Normalise airflow and duty assumptions.
- Record every exclusion and “by others” item.
- Check fan and electrical implications.
- Compare service envelope and weights.
- Obtain performance evidence and warranty limits.
- Compare at least a multi-year operating cost.
Turn the agreed checks into named deliverables. Each item should have an owner, due date and acceptance method. Where a measurement is required, record the value, unit, instrument or source, operating condition and result. This makes the information usable at handover and during a later investigation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing on equipment count.
- Treating two carbon boxes as equivalent.
- Ignoring the cost of gaining access.
- Accepting unqualified percentage claims.
- Failing to name the responsible designer.
Avoid closing the issue on appearance alone. A new filter, reset controller or revised drawing may change the symptom without resolving the underlying duty, utility, access or maintenance problem. Confirm the completed work under a representative operating condition and keep the evidence with the asset or ventilation record.
Frequently asked questions
Should the most expensive quote be preferred?
Not automatically. Prefer the proposal that demonstrably meets the defined duty with coordinated scope, evidence and maintainability.
How can different ESP sizes be compared?
Compare selected airflow, effective cell arrangement, performance basis, pressure, access, controls and service cost—not casing width alone.
What is the most important exclusion?
There is no single one, but fan duty, installation access, electrical controls and commissioning commonly cause major gaps.
Related Kitchen Install Guide reading
- What Should a Kitchen Extraction Quote Include?
- Commercial Kitchen Site Survey Checklist
- Electrical Information for a Kitchen Equipment Schedule
Capture the installation and commissioning detail
Use the KIG 318 Commercial Kitchen Installation Checklist to record interfaces, checks, outstanding actions and the evidence needed at handover.
Sources and further guidance
- BESA: DW/172 Specification for Kitchen Ventilation Systems
- Purified Air: Commercial kitchen ESP systems
- Purified Air: Commercial kitchen multi-filter units
- EMAQ+: Control of Odour and Noise from Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems
Last reviewed: 14 August 2026. This article provides general commercial-kitchen design information. It does not replace a site-specific ventilation design, manufacturer instructions, risk assessment, planning conditions or advice from a competent specialist.