Why energy efficiency is decisive for steam generators
Steam is one of the most important energy carriers in industry. Whether in food production, textile processing or the chemical industry — wherever process heat is needed, steam generators are used. But the choice of the right technology has a considerable influence on your operating costs and your ecological footprint.
Electric steam generators: the facts
Electric steam generators convert electrical energy into steam with almost no losses. The efficiency isup to 98 %— a figure that fuel-fired systems cannot achieve.
Advantages at a glance
- Efficiency ~98 %:Hardly any energy losses during conversion
- No flue gas system needed:No chimney, no flue gas cleaning, no emissions measurement
- Compact design:Significantly smaller than comparable gas/oil boilers
- Fast steam availability:Ready for operation within a few minutes
- Low maintenance effort:No burner nozzles, no combustion residues
- No permit requirement:In many cases the elaborate BImSchG permit does not apply
Areas of application
Electric steam generators are particularly suitable for:
- Bakeries and confectioneries (steam injection)
- Hospitals (sterilisation and air humidification)
- Laboratories and pharmaceuticals
- Agriculture (hay steaming)
- Food production (sterilisation, cooking)
- Laundries and textile businesses
Fuel-fired steam generators: where are the limits?
Gas- and oil-fired steam boilers typically have an efficiency of82–90 %. The remaining 10–18 % are lost as flue gas heat, radiation losses and standby losses.
| Criterion | Electric | Gas/oil |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | ~98 % | 82–90 % |
| CO₂ emissions (direct) | 0 g/kWh | 200–270 g/kWh |
| Chimney required | No | Yes |
| Maintenance interval | 6–12 months | 3–6 months |
| Installation area | Compact | Large |
| Permit requirement | Mostly does not apply | BImSchG required |
Part load and standstill: where fuel-fired systems really lose out
The rated efficiencies on the data sheet describe the ideal case — continuous operation at full load. In practice, however, steam generators rarely run constantly, and it is precisely here that the gap between electric and fuel-fired technology widens considerably.
Fuel-fired boilers lose energy with every burner start for purging the combustion chamber and for repeated heating up. Frequent cycling in part-load operation often reduces the actual annual efficiency by a further five to ten percentage points below the brochure figure. Added to this are standby losses: a boiler kept warm gives off heat permanently through the boiler wall and the flue gas path, even when no steam is being drawn off.
Electric steam generators hardly know this problem. They switch in individual heating elements without losses or modulate continuously — without purging, start-up or chimney losses. If there is no load, no current flows, and the standby losses drop practically to zero. The efficiency therefore remains almost constant across the entire load profile.
A simple sample calculation illustrates the effect: an operation with a steam demand of 200 kg/h and around 3,000 operating hours per year saves several thousand kilowatt hours of primary energy per year through the roughly twelve percentage points higher annual efficiency alone — energy that, in the case of gas, is additionally burdened with the rising CO₂ price.
So anyone who compares only the data sheet efficiencies underestimates the actual advantage of the electric solution. What is decisive is the annual efficiency across the real load profile — and that is where electric steam generation consistently plays to its strengths.
The cost calculation: what really pays off?
The pure energy costs depend on the local electricity or gas price. At a current electricity price of approx. 0.25 €/kWh and a gas price of approx. 0.08 €/kWh, gas appears cheaper at first glance.
But:If you look at the total costs (Total Cost of Ownership), the difference is put into perspective considerably:
- Maintenance costs:Electric systems cost approx. 60 % less to maintain
- Infrastructure:No gas connection, no chimney, no fuel storage
- Insurance:Lower premiums without combustion risk
- Funding:Electric systems benefit from state funding programmes for decarbonisation
- CO₂ price:With rising CO₂ levies (currently 45 €/t), gas becomes continuously more expensive
Future-proof: electric is the way
As renewable energies are expanded, electricity is becoming ever greener. An electric steam generator that already works locally emission-free today becomes even more sustainable with every percent more green electricity in the grid — without you having to invest.
