Oven Related Energy Saving Opportunities

Power & Energy Services, Residential and Business: APS

By using this Web site,
you accept our Terms of Use
and Privacy Policy agreements.

Opportunities of improving the energy efficiency of oven operations include:

Fill the oven – Whenever possible, try to schedule oven use so that it will be full.

Limit oven preheat times – Preheat ovens no longer than the manufacturer’s

Efficiency of Ovens

Cooking Method	Cooking Efficiency (%)	Energy Factor (%)
Microwave	57.5	57.5
Electric, standard	12.1	10.9
Electric, self cleaning	13.9	10.2
Electric, self cleaning, convection	17.1	13.4
Gas, pilot light	5.9	3.5
Gas, electric ignition	6.1	5.8
Gas, electric ignition, self cleaning	7.1	5.8
Gas, electric ignition, self cleaning, convection	8.7	7.4

Notes: Cooking efficiency is the fraction of the energy supplied to the unit that heats food during a typical cooking cycle. Energy factor is the ratio of energythat is effectively used to heat food to the total energy used.

recommendation – usually 10 to 15 minutes. Letting the oven preheat longer than needed increases energy cost. A high preheat setting will not heat the oven any faster but it may overheat the oven leading to wasted energy.

Maintain oven seals – Make sure the seals around oven doors are in good shape, and seal snuggly with the face of the stove. Worn or loose-fitting seals allow heat from the oven to escape. Clean out debris at the stove bottom, especially in the front where the door seal meets the stove. The accumulated material can prevent the door from sealing well.

Use ceramic or glass pans – Using ceramic or glass pans will allow food to cook at an oven temperature 25° F lower than would be needed for metal pans.²

Choose an efficient oven – The efficiency of ovens varies widely with how they’re operated, but there are general comparisons that can be made. The following tables provide a comparison of the efficiency and relative operating cost of the different types.² You may find that the type of oven you’re using isn’t as economical as you thought.

Maximize use of microwave ovens – They are the most efficient, fastest and lowest cost. Use them where ever possible. They heat only the food and save significant energy compared to standard ovens. Microwave ovens operate even more efficiently if the inside is kept clean.

Convection ovens – Convection ovens use fans to circulate hot air around food as it cooks. The motion of the air increases the rate at which heat is transferred to the food. As a result, convection ovens cook more quickly and at lower temperatures to achieve the same result as conventional ovens. According to one manufacturer³, convection ovens cook in 10 percent less time at 25° F lower temperature. Convection ovens can also be loaded more fully than conventional ovens due to the increased circulation leading to additional productivity improvements. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates convection ovens are 23 percent⁴ more efficient than conventional ovens.

Flashbake® ovens – Flashbake® ovens use a combination of intense visible light from halogen bulbs and infrared energy to cook food. It produces the browning effect of conventional ovens but it cooks almost twice as fast. Unlike conventional ovens, it isn’t necessary to leave these ovens on during non cooking times to maintain oven temperature. They only operate when actual cooking is taking place – no preheating is needed. Because of these advantages, Flashbake® ovens are being used in commercial kitchens to increase productivity.

² Technology Atlas Series, Volume V, Appliances, E Source, 1996.
³ The DACOR company
⁴ Technical Support Document: Energy Efficiency Standards for Consumer Products, U.S. DOE, 1993.

More energy efficient commercial cooking answers