Commercial Kitchen Extraction and Canopy Systems: A Complete Guide for Compliance and Efficiency

Running a commercial kitchen is never simple. Heat, grease, fumes and constant pressure mean your extraction and ventilation system must work hard every day. When it doesn’t, safety suffers, energy costs rise and issues with compliance appear fast. 

Sigma Engineering helps kitchens stay efficient and fully compliant through expert design, installation and maintenance of commercial extraction and canopy systems. 

This guide breaks down what you need to know to stay on top of performance, safety and the law.

Why Extraction in a Commercial Kitchen Matters

A commercial kitchen produces smoke, steam and grease at a scale far beyond domestic cooking. Without a reliable kitchen extract system, these pollutants build up and create risks that range from fire hazards to poor air quality. 

A well designed commercial kitchen extractor fan and canopy system captures pollutants at source, pulls them through a controlled duct path and releases or filters them safely.

For any business with cooking equipment, proper ventilation is not just an option. It’s vital for fire safety compliance, helps meet insurance requirements and keeps staff comfortable. It also protects equipment from grease building up which reduces breakdowns and keeps running costs under control.

The Role of Canopy Systems

The kitchen canopy is the first point of capture. A good canopy should sit directly above appliances, draw fumes efficiently and maintain a steady airflow. 

Canopies for commercial kitchens come in different forms, including wall mounted, island and condensate canopies. When specified correctly they remove smoke and grease before they escape into the kitchen space.

A commercial extraction canopy works best when matched with the correct canopy extractor fan. The right pairing ensures enough airflow to meet demand without creating noise, vibration or unnecessary energy consumption. Sigma Engineering ensures each canopy and fan combination meets the kitchen’s operational load and layout.

Extraction Fans and Filtration

Once pollutants are captured by the canopy they move through a ducted system driven by a commercial canopy fan. This fan must maintain consistent airflow regardless of the cooking load. 

Your options range from traditional fans to more advanced systems such as recirculating extractor fans fitted with filtration units.

Filtration helps remove particulates and grease before air is discharged or recirculated. Solutions vary from simple mesh filters to high performance filtration ventilation units used in more demanding environments. Where cleaner air is essential, HVAC filtration and industrial air filtration and ventilation systems can support overall indoor air quality.

Ensuring Compliance: LEV Testing and Inspection

One of the most important compliance tasks for any commercial kitchen is keeping up with Local Exhaust Ventilation testing. LEV testing ensures your extraction system is removing contaminants effectively and meets HSE standards. Failure to comply can lead to enforcement action and puts staff at risk.

Local Exhaust Ventilation inspection covers airflow checks, capture efficiency, filter condition and the general integrity of the system. Sigma Engineering provides full LEV system inspection and LEV extraction testing to verify performance. Regular local exhaust ventilation LEV testing proves your system is fit for purpose and supports safe working conditions.

Kitchen Extract Systems and Fire Safety

Grease is one of the biggest fire risks in a kitchen. A poorly maintained kitchen smoke extractor or duct system can allow grease to accumulate in places that are hard to reach. This is why routine cleaning and testing are essential.

Kitchen extract systems must be designed to minimise build up and allow thorough cleaning. Sigma Engineering installs systems that meet fire safety guidelines and provides ongoing maintenance to keep them compliant. A clean duct system protects both staff and customers and reduces emergency downtime.

Heat Recovery and Energy Efficiency

Many commercial kitchens now look for ways to cut the energy usage without affecting the performance.

Heat recovery ventilation systems can make a big difference. A heat recovery unit, sometimes known as an HRV system or MVHR system, captures heat from outgoing stale air and uses it to warm incoming fresh air. This reduces heating demand and supports a more balanced indoor climate.

Commercial heat recovery solutions include ERV systems, heat recovery ventilators and full commercial MVHR units. These systems improve efficiency, reduce energy bills and support sustainability goals. Sigma Engineering designs and installs commercial heat recovery ventilation systems that integrate with existing kitchen ventilation for maximum benefit.

Choosing the Right Partner

Commercial kitchen extraction is a specialist field. A system that looks fine on paper can fail in practice if the design is incorrect or the airflow is mismatched. Working with an experienced engineering partner ensures smoother installation, easier maintenance and long term safety.

Sigma Engineering brings expertise across extraction, filtration and heat recovery. From commercial exhaust canopy design to full kitchen ventilation fan replacements, the company provides tailored solutions based on the specific needs of each site.

We’re proud to support businesses with dependable engineering, expert compliance checks and efficient ventilation systems built to last. 

If your kitchen extraction system needs upgrading, simply contact our team for more information.