What does a commercial kitchen extraction system cost?

What goes into the price of a kitchen extract system?

A chain of components, each sized by the cooking below it. HSE describes the usual arrangement as mechanical extraction through a canopy hood over the cooking appliances, with general ventilation of the whole kitchen as well. Prices for the links in the chain come from quotes rather than an official source, so the figures here are structure and running-cost arithmetic.

Component	What sets its size or price	One-off or yearly
Canopy and filters	The heat and fume load of the appliances beneath	One-off, then filter cleaning
Extract fan and controls	The airflow worked out from the appliance schedule; demand-controlled operation is an option	One-off, then power every hour of use
Ductwork to discharge	Route length, fire-resisting sections, access panels for cleaning	One-off, then cleaning
Make-up air	The air that has to replace what is extracted, and its heating	One-off, then fan power and heat
Odour and noise control	The planning conditions and the cooking type	One-off, then filter changes
Gas interlock	Whether gas appliances rely on the ventilation	One-off
Fire-resisting ductwork	The duct route through fire-separating walls and floors	One-off

BESA's DW/172 is the specification for designing, installing and maintaining commercial kitchen ventilation. Its second edition expanded the appliance coefficient schedules used to calculate airflow, which is why the appliance list drives the budget. It also added sections on solid fuel appliances, demand-controlled kitchen ventilation and recirculation systems, and a May 2024 addendum updated guidance on fire-resisting and smoke-control ductwork. The rules themselves are covered in the kitchen extraction and ventilation guide.

How do small, medium and large kitchens differ?

The three profiles below are illustrations, not surveys. The fan sizes and 350 operating days a year are assumptions; the cleaning intervals are BESA's minimums for each band of daily hours; electricity is priced at DESNZ's 24.3p per kWh for 2025 (provisional), which includes the Climate Change Levy.

Profile	Hours a day	TR19 Grease minimum	Cleans a year	Assumed fan input	Electricity a year	Cost at 24.3p
Light use, small café	4	Every 12 months	1	0.75 kW	1,050 kWh	£255
Moderate use, restaurant	9	Every 6 months	2	2.2 kW	6,930 kWh	£1,684
Heavy use, continuous frying	14	Every 3 months	4	5.5 kW	26,950 kWh	£6,549

The fan figure leaves out the make-up air fan and any heating of replacement air. Heat is priced on the gas price: DESNZ gives 5.3p per kWh for 2025 (provisional), on the same basis. As an assumption, a make-up air heater delivering 20 kW for 1,500 cold-weather hours uses 30,000 kWh of heat, or about £1,590 before efficiency losses.

What do cleaning and testing add each year?

Cleaning recurs every year alongside power. BESA says heavy-use kitchens (12 to 16 hours a day) should be cleaned every 3 months, moderate use (6 to 12 hours) every 6 months and light use (2 to 6 hours) every 12 months. It calls these baseline recommendations and says a competent person should set the actual frequency by a cleanliness risk assessment, so the cleans-a-year column is a floor.

The price of each clean depends on the scope in the contract. BESA lists the canopies, filters, risers, horizontal ductwork, fans and discharge points, and says previously inaccessible areas must be made reachable by access panels at appropriate intervals. A duct without panels therefore carries a one-off cost before the first compliant clean. Each clean should end with before-and-after photographs and a hygiene certificate. The TR19 Grease guide explains the specification.

Fire separation is built into the duct itself. BESA says fire dampers are not acceptable in kitchen extract systems under BS 9999, so fire-resisting ductwork is used where the discharge to outside cannot be immediate. Price that ductwork as part of the route.

How do planning, odour and noise affect the budget?

They decide how much abatement the system needs. Dartford Borough Council says planning conditions generally prevent odour nuisance from commercial kitchens, and that if it investigates a complaint it considers whether the extraction system is suitable for the types and quantity of food cooked. It also notes that Defra has withdrawn its guidance on odour and noise from commercial kitchen exhausts on GOV.UK, which still outlines what to submit when applying to change an extraction system. Obtain the council's conditions before pricing, because a quote built without them can need an extra odour or noise stage later.

What do make-up air and the gas interlock add?

HSE says it is particularly important to provide adequate make-up air for gas-fired appliances, and that solid fuel appliances need an appropriate extraction system that removes toxic fumes. HSE's gas guidance for employers says to make sure the gas supply is interlocked with the ventilation of the appliance. Price both as separate lines, because an extract fan alone does not supply the replacement air or the interlock. The gas interlock guide and the extractor fan guide cover each.

How should you compare kitchen extraction quotes?

1. Ask for the airflow and the appliance schedule it came from.
2. Check the canopy size, filter type and discharge arrangement against the council's conditions.
3. See that the duct route states its fire rating and where the access panels sit.
4. Look for make-up air, the interlock and commissioning as separate lines.
5. Ask for a yearly plan: cleans and filter changes.

HSE's information sheet on kitchen ventilation sets out the duties of the caterer, the building manager, designers and equipment installers when new equipment is installed, so a quote should say who is responsible for what. Restaurant operators comparing cooling as well as extraction can read about restaurant air conditioning, and general ventilation outside the kitchen is priced on the commercial ventilation cost page. You can send an enquiry through the form on this site.

Sources

• DESNZ annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026: performance report, GOV.UK, updated 19 August 2026, checked 22 October 2026
• Catering and hospitality: frequently asked questions, Health and Safety Executive, checked 22 October 2026
• Gas safety for employers, Health and Safety Executive, checked 22 October 2026
• Ventilation of kitchens in catering establishments (CAIS10), Health and Safety Executive, checked 22 October 2026
• Kitchen extract system cleaning, BESA, checked 22 October 2026
• DW/172 Specification for kitchen ventilation systems, BESA Publications, checked 22 October 2026
• Commercial kitchen extraction systems, Dartford Borough Council, checked 22 October 2026

Guides on this topic

• TR19 Grease: kitchen extract cleaning frequencies, insurers and what drives the cost

Frequently asked questions

What does a TR19 Grease clean include?

BESA says the clean covers the canopy, fan and the full length of the ductwork, with access panels fitted where parts were unreachable. The contractor should supply before-and-after photographs, any deposit thickness test results and a hygiene certificate naming the date and the competent technician.

Does heavier cooking change the cleaning interval?

It can. The 3, 6 and 12 month intervals are baselines by hours of use. BESA says the actual frequency should be set by a competent person’s risk assessment that considers the type of cooking, the grease build-up rate and deposit test results.

How much does the extract fan cost to run?

Fan input in kilowatts, multiplied by hours of use and by the electricity price. A 2.2 kW fan running 3,150 hours uses 6,930 kWh, which is about £1,684 at 24.3p per kWh. The make-up air fan and any heating of replacement air are extra.

Why can two quotes for the same kitchen differ so much?

Because the scope differs. One may include fire-resisting duct sections, access panels, make-up air, the gas interlock and odour control, and another may leave some out for later. Ask for each as a separate line.