Project description
Innovative infrared oven for commercial kitchens
Commercial kitchens consume a considerable amount of energy, mainly due to inefficient appliances. For instance, ovens represent one of the most energy-demanding kitchen appliances. Even the newest and most advanced ovens are not entirely efficient. The EU-funded Smart Cooking project presents a low-energy infrared oven that consumes 60 % less energy than convection ovens, reduces cooking time by up to 50 %, and incorporates automated cooking programmes and self-cleaning technology. This new innovative oven is designed to cut costs for food businesses and increase their productivity.
Objective
The challenging worldwide energy demand requires the restriction of energy consumption by means of systems and machines that are more efficient. The EU has set itself climate and energy targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions progressively up to 2050. Commercial kitchens, are intense energy users and represent the biggest energy consumers per square foot of all commercial buildings. Typically, 20% of a food service business’ annual energy costs are wasted through the use of energy inefficient equipment. Improving the efficiency of commercial kitchen equipment can result in savings of 10-30%, depending upon the technologies installed. Ovens represent one of the most energy demanding pieces of equipment. A minimum of 20.000kWh could be saved yearly, if ovens were replaced by high efficiency equipment in commercial kitchens. Main limitations from most advanced ovens on the market include: 1) energy is wasted as heat, and the majority is released into the kitchen warming up the kitchen (cooling of the kitchen is thus needed, thus further energy required), 2) notable food weight loss and too dry resulting cooked foods, 3) long cooking times, 4) non-automated cooking (automatic cooking programs greatly increase the kitchen staff’s productivity, provide constant results and no cooking training is required), 5) pyrolytic automatic cleaning requires too much energy.
To overcome all of these problems CB s.r.l has created Smart Cooking; a low energy infrared oven which uses 60% less energy than convection ovens (no energy is wasted as heat, no energy is needed to cool the kitchen), reduces cooking time by 15-50%, cuts food weight loss by 15%, and incorporates automated cooking programs and self-cleaning technology (50% less energy used than pyrolitic ovens). Smart Cooking will cut costs for food businesses and will highly increase their productivity. In 5 years from completion of the project, we expect to gain €9 million in cumulative profits and hire 27 new employe
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.3. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.2.1.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
- H2020-EU.2.3.1. - Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
24040 BOTTANUCO BG
Italy
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.