ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR Market & Industry Scoping Report
Toaster Ovens
November 2011
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consistently looks for new opportunities to
expand ENERGY STAR to new product categories that will deliver significant benefits to
consumers and the environment in the form of energy and dollar savings plus greenhouse gas
reductions. A key step in this evaluation is the development of a scoping report that provides a
snapshot of the product market, energy use, and savings potential associated with an ENERGY
STAR program for the scoped product type. EPA uses scoping findings to prioritize product
specification development work. While scoping reports are drafted primarily for internal
evaluation purposes, and are not intended to be exhaustive but rather a guidepost for the
ENERGY STAR program, EPA makes the reports available with the interest of benefiting other
efficiency program evaluating similar opportunities. For more information about the ENERGY
STAR specification development process, go to: www.energystar.gov/productdevelopment.
1. Product & Technology Overview
Toaster ovens are countertop appliances designed for toasting, baking, broiling, defrosting, and
warming food. Most toaster ovens are significantly larger than toasters, but are capable of
performing most of the functions of electric ovens, albeit on a much smaller scale. Toaster
ovens range from about 16 x 8-inch to 20 x 10-inches in footprint. Toaster ovens are designed
for usability, ease of maintenance, cooking functions, safety, and capacity.
Product Types
Conventional Toaster Oven: Designed for toasting, baking, and broiling. Standard accessories
include a baking pan and removable crumb tray / drip pan for easy maintenance.
Convection (fan-forced) Toaster Oven: Augments a conventional toaster oven configuration with
a fan to circulate heated air inside the cooking compartment, which results in a more even
temperature throughout and allows multiple shelves to be used simultaneously. More heat is
transferred to the food through the combination of convective and radiative heat transfer than
would otherwise be transferred through radiative heating alone - thus reducing the time and/or
temperature needed to complete cooking.
Product Features
• Heating Element: An electric resistance coil, infrared lamp, or other device that is used
to generate heat for cooking.
• Thermostat: Maintains a constant temperature in the cooking compartment by cycling
power to the heating elements.
• Fan: Circulates air within the cooking compartment for even heat distribution. Areas of
higher velocity accelerate evaporation and heat transfer._Electric fans are usually located
at the back of the oven cavity with the fan motor situated outside of the insulated
enclosure. The fan motor is typically cooler in temperature although some heat is
conducted along the fan drive shaft.
• Timer: Provides capability to shut off the oven at the end of the cooking process.
• Interior Lamp: Provides light to allow users to monitor cooking progress.
• LCD Display: Provides clock and timer functions.
ENERGY STAR Market & Industry Scoping Report: Toaster Ovens
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• Insulation: Insulation improves cooking efficiency by retaining heat inside the cooking
compartment.
• Cooking Compartment: Toaster ovens are often differentiated by bread slice capacity or
interior volume. The interior volume of a 4-slice model is typically 0.35 cu. ft. and a 6-
slice model is typically 0.5 to 0.7 cu. ft. 6-slice models account for the largest sales
volume in the U.S. market.
• Warming Compartment: A separate heated compartment, usually on top of the cooking
compartment, that is used for defrosting or keeping food warm while the oven is in use.
Toaster ovens heat food through conduction, convection, and radiation. Various technologies
are employed in toaster ovens to achieve a combination of these basic processes.
Conduction: Conduction is the direct transfer of heat from a hot object into a cooler one in
contact with it. This process occurs in toaster ovens where the baking pan or toaster oven rack
is in contact with food. Cookware varies from high conductivity (aluminum and copper) to low
conductivity (glass and porcelain).
Convection: Heat is transferred through convention currents in a gas or liquid. There is a small
amount of moving-air convection taking place in a toaster oven, but in a "convection toaster
oven" a built-in fan intensifies the circulation, encompassing all parts of the food equally.
Electromagnetic Field Radiation: Radiation is the transfer of heat by direct exposure to a source
of energy. Infrared radiation emitted by the heating element is the primary mechanism for
transfer of heat in a toaster oven to food. When radiation strikes a substance, its energy agitates
the substance's molecules, making it hotter.
2. Market Assessment
U.S. Retail Sales
Convection toaster ovens continue to gain market share. The steady growth of the technology,
coupled with growing consumer understanding of its key benefits, has continued to move
convection close to becoming a cost-of-entry feature within the toaster ovens category.
Other features that continue to gain ground include touch pad and electronic controls, expanded
capacity, LCD timers, and automatic shut-off. From a macro-perspective, the countertop
category continues to move in the direction of giving consumers the same features and
functionality they've come to expect in full-size ovens in a more compact footprint. HomeWorld
Business estimates that 22% of units sold in 2010 had electronic controls, versus 78% without
electronic controls.
The proliferation of new models, which in turn have driven more widespread distribution have
helped put the category increasingly in front of consumers and continue to accelerate household
penetration.1
1 "Housewares Census 2011HomeWorld Business, January 2011.
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Table 1: U.S. Retail Sales of Toaster Ovens - 20102
Product Type
Retail Dollar
Sales
(millions)
Market Share
by Retail
Dollar Sales
Retail Unit
Sales
(millions)
Market
Share by
Retail Unit
Sales
Conventional Toaster Ovens
332.02
57%
7.03
67%
Convection Toaster Ovens
250.1
43%
3.4
33%
Total
582.12
10.43
U.S. Retail Pricing: Residential
The retail price of toaster ovens ranges from $20 to $250. According to industry representatives,
pricing is dependent upon style, finish, and features, and not energy efficiency. Results from the
HomeWorld Forecast 2011's annual survey of consumers, shown below, indicate most
consumers expect to pay between $20 and $60 for conventional toaster ovens.
Table 2: U.S. Conventional Toaster Oven Purchase Price Expectation3
<$10
4.5%
$10-$19.99 1
9.6%
$20-29.99
$30-39.99
cpH-u-cpoy. yy
$60-$79.99
7.3%
$80-$99.99
2.5%
$100-199.99
5%
$200+
1 %
Source: 2011 HomeWorld Forecast Consumer Survey
3. Energy Efficiency Assessment
Available Test Procedures
• AHAM T-1-1986, Household Electric Toasters: Used for measuring the performance of
toaster ovens but does not measure energy consumption. However, the Association of
Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has considered developing a new test method
for measuring energy consumption.4
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 American Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). www.aham..org.
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• EN 61817: 2001, Household portable appliances for cooking, grilling and similar use:
Methods for assessing performance are described. There is also an energy consumption
measurement procedure (in Wh).
• IEC-62301, Household Electrical Appliances - Measurement of Standby Power. An
international test method for measurement of standby power consumption and may be
applicable to toaster ovens.
In addition, Savenia Labs is also developing test procedures for rating the energy performance
of several countertop appliances, including toaster ovens.5
Product Usage Patterns
Energy consumption in toaster ovens can be strongly influenced by user behavior. Main factors
include the temperature settings, the duration of the cooking process, or the frequency with
which the oven door is opened. These factors can vary considerably depending on individual
cooking habits. The different settings in temperature and duration are also influenced by
consumer's expectations on the cooking results. These expectations and practices can relate to
regional differences, but can also depend on individual preferences.
• Power Consumption: According to industry representatives, a toaster oven uses about
1/3-1/2 less energy than a conventional electric oven for cooking small meals. Typical
power consumption of a toaster oven during use is 1,200 to 1,400 watts. Bake, toast,
and keep-warm functions use more power on average than broil- and slow-bake
functions. For a 6-slice toaster oven, bake and toast functions consume 900 to 1,400
watts, the keep-warm function consumes 600 to 1,400 watts, the broil function
consumes 800 to 1,200 watts, and the slow-bake function consumes approximately 600
watts.
• Standby Power Consumption: Approximately 55% of households leave their toaster
ovens plugged in when not in use. According to one industry source, digital control
toaster ovens consume less than 0.2 watts in standby mode, while manual control
toaster ovens do not consume any power in standby mode.
• Life Expectancy: The average life expectancy of toaster ovens is 5 years.6
• Freguency and Duration of Usage: Toaster ovens are primarily used for toasting and
baking, and rarely used to defrost, warm or broil food. 27% of households use their
toaster oven for only toasting, while 7% use it for only baking. The frequency and
duration of toaster oven usage is shown in the charts below. The data presented in
these charts is from a 2009 survey of over 2,300 respondents, (a representative sample
of U.S. households) conducted by AHAM.7
5 For more information, see: http://www.savenialabs.com/
6 31st Annual Portrait of the U.S. Appliance Industry, September 2008, Appliance Magazine
7 Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, "Portable Home Appliances Saturation & Usage Study," July 2009.
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Table 3: Frequency of Use: Toaster Ovens
n
Twice a day or more
I 11 %
Once a day
I 19%
2-3 times per week
I 37%
Once a week
I 12%
-
2-3 times per month
I 11 %
Once a month
I 4%
-
Once every 2-3 months
I 4%
Once every 4-6 months
H 1%
Less than once e\^ry 6 months
11%
Table 4: Duration of Use: Toaster Ovens
Less than 1 minute
I 2%
1-2 minutes
I 14%
-
3-5 minutes
I 25%
-
6-10 minutes
I 30%
-
11-15 minutes
| 10%
-
16-30 minutes
I 16%
-
31-60 minutes
I 4%
More than 60 minutes
0%
4. Energy and Cost Savings Potential
Full-size ovens are not very efficient for cooking small- to medium-sized meals. Cooking a meal
in a toaster oven has the potential to save over 50% of the energy used to cook the same meal
in a conventional electric oven.8 In addition, the following improvements can increase the
efficiency of a toaster oven.
Convection technology
One source cites that convection toaster ovens save up to 40% in energy compared to
traditional toaster ovens. However, due to the lack of a standardized test procedure, data was
not found that could substantiate this type of claim.9 Testing by Savenia Labs also suggests
that conventional and convection toaster ovens use approximately the same amount of energy
over a given time period. Based on this testing, they also suggest that whether or not
temperature and/or cook time are reduced is less important since toaster ovens use the vast
8 Amann, Jennifer Thorne., Alex Wilson, and Katie Ackerly. Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings. Washington, D.C.: American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2007. Print.
9 http://www.livinaincomfort.com/consumer-auides/toaster-ovens-guide.html
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majority of their energy over a short cooking cycle to pre-heat, and therefore, small reductions in
temperature or cook time will have minimum impact on energy consumption.10
Insulation
The walls of a range oven are insulated better than a toaster oven. They must have thicker wall
insulation to keep the outside safely cool to prevent accidental burns when they are in the
superhot self-cleaning cycle. Many toaster ovens have single layers of glass. Toaster ovens
could achieve increased energy efficiency by improving door and cooking cavity insulation.
Electronic temperature control
This would allow better control of the heat inside the toaster oven cavity. Gains in energy
efficiency can be achieved by more accurately controlling the heat output of the oven.
Improved door seals
Early research showed a 7% energy efficiency improvement is possible, whereas recent work
attributed only a 1% improvement.11
Cooking sensors
Monitoring the temperature of the food would enable the temperature inside the toaster oven to
be adapted for less energy loss and better cooking performance. Savings potential is user-
dependent, however, and would mainly benefit consumers who over-estimate cooking time or
forget to intervene when cooking is finished.
Estimated Savings Potential
Given that there is currently no widely adopted procedure in the U.S. for measuring the usage
energy consumption of toaster ovens, comprehensive and comparable data are not currently
available. For the purposes of this report, considering the efficiency options discussed above, a
15% reduction in active mode power draw (from 1.4 kW to 1.2 kWh)12 is assumed in order to
develop an initial estimate of the energy savings opportunity. Assuming a toaster oven is used
36 hours in a year,13 the annual savings from an efficient toaster would be on the order of 7
kWh/yr. Considering there are approximately 1.7 million toaster ovens sold in the U.S. each
year, the national energy savings opportunity would be on the order of 13,000 MWh per year if
25% of products sold were replaced with energy efficient models. This reduction in energy use
would reduce C02 emissions by approximately 20 million lbs (assuming a conversion of 1.54 lbs
C02 per kWh).
10 Savenia Labs Blog, Convection Bake: Does it Save Energy? Posted September 5, 2011. http://www.savenialabs.com/bloo/
11 U.S. Department of Energy. EERE. Chapter 3. Market and Technology Assessment. Final Rule Technical Support Document:
Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, and Commercial Clothes Washers, Mar. 2009. Web.
.
12 Figures based on energy consumption of 6-slice models.
13 Total annual usage figures derived from weighted average estimates of product usage pattern data provided by Portable Home
Appliances Saturation & Usage Study 2009
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5. Key Market Players
Industry Associations
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM): AHAM is a trade association of home
appliance manufacturers. AHAM performs market research and supplies business data to its
members. AHAM does not currently offer a certification program for toasters and toaster ovens.
Manufacturers
Applica Organization (Black & Decker, George Foreman)
Avanti
Cuisinart
De'Longhi America (De'Longhi, Kitchen Electrics)
Euro-Pro
Groupe SEB (Krups, T-Fal, Rowenta, Wear Ever, AllClad)
Hamilton Beach (GE)
Jarden Consumer Solutions (Sunbeam, Oster, Holmes, Rival)
Panasonic
Proctor Silex
Rival
Sanyo
Sunpentown
Toastm aster
Whirlpool Corporation (KitchenAid)
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