The scope of the HEO project was to showcase a mix of environmental friendly technologies for manufacturing a new class of domestic electric ovens using up to 50% less energy in the production process, avoiding use of toxic substances and with an improved efficiency of about 30% during the use phase, if compared to state-of the art ovens.
In this regard, the innovative HEO project has demonstrated the feasibility of a pre-industrial pilot production line, bringing considerable environmental benefits, mainly by a drastic reduction of energy consumption in the production process as well as in the household utilization of electric ovens, coupled with other relevant environmental benefits.
The first environmental aspect targeted by the HEO project was related to the Energy consumption in the cavity production process. In the typical enamel process the low carbon steel is cured at 830 °C to apply the traditional enamel. In the innovative HEO process, demonstrated through a pre-industrial production line, the stainless steel is cured twice at about 230°C for 30 minutes to apply the new coating, allowing to save up to 63% in terms of energy. This value is much better than the targeted one! The saving in the thermal energy also compensates the higher embodied energy of stainless steel versus low carbon steel. This new coating is also avoiding the use of toxic substances, such as nickel and cobalt.
Additionally the project was targeting an energy consumption reduction during normal use of the oven. Traditional ovens are among the most inefficient appliances with an energy efficiency of around 10-12% with respect to the input power. The new concept applied to HEO project is taking the energy efficiency of the innovative oven up to a 30% higher than traditional ovens, mainly thanks to the increase of radiation contribution of the cavity wall to the total heat exchange with food and to the adaption of the heating system.
Therefore an improvement of the energy efficiency in household appliances’ energy requirements will have a very high impact on the EU area from a socio-economic as well as carbon footprint point of view.