CalNEXT: Electric Conveyor Ovens & Charbroilers
Commercial kitchens remain heavily reliant on gas-powered cooking equipment, including conveyor ovens and charbroilers. Emerging electric alternatives, such as electric conveyor ovens and charbroilers, could potentially improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality. However, these emerging technologies face challenges in market adoption due to limited performance data, unfamiliarity with electric appliances in commercial kitchens, concerns about reliability and cost, and the absence of rebate offerings. These challenges are particularly acute for fast-food restaurants, which often operate in hard-to-reach (“HTR”) and disadvantaged communities (“DACs”), where economic and infrastructure constraints further hinder the adoption of electrification technologies.
Funded by the CalNEXT initiative, the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), Energy Solutions, and Frontier Energy Food Service Technology Center will collaborate to conduct controlled laboratory testing of 2-3 electric conveyor oven and charbroiler models.
Performance Validation: The lab evaluation will generate performance data on energy input, cooking efficiency, idle and preheat energy, production capacity, and recovery time. These data will be compared to existing gas appliance performance metrics to support the development of a new Energy Trading and Risk Management (eTRM) measure package.
Economic Assessments: This project will also include cost analysis aligned with total resource cost and benefit procedures. Additionally, non-energy impacts (i.e., improvements in indoor air quality and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions) will also be assessed.
Market Adoption: The project will target the outreach efforts to restaurant owners, small businesses, foodservice professionals, and industry associations to increase awareness and support technology transfer. Meanwhile, CLTC will also collaborate with partners, such as the California Restaurant Foundation and the Sacramento Valley Small Business Development Center, to help ensure these benefits reach disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities.
Ultimately, the project will generate performance data, economic assessments, non-energy benefit analyses, and stakeholder-informed recommendations to lay a strong foundation for broader adoption and utility program inclusion of electric conveyor ovens and charbroilers.
This is an ongoing project. Come back later to see the final report!