Contents
- Bakery energy use statistics: U.S. bakery-sector energy purchases in 2010
- Bakery energy use statistics: Measured energy by stage in a U.S. roll bakery
- Bakery energy use statistics: Representative bread and roll process benchmarks
- Bakery energy use statistics: Cake and frozen-pastry energy benchmarks
- Bakery energy use statistics: Quito bakery electricity and flour-based indicators
- Bakery energy use statistics: Ghazni bakery energy use and equipment loads
- Bakery energy use statistics: Indian bread-baking fuel and energy findings
- Sources
Bakery energy use statistics: U.S. bakery-sector energy purchases in 2010
A U.S. energy-efficiency guide published in December 2012 reports energy purchases for calendar year 2010. The data distinguish bread and bakery product manufacturing (NAICS 31181) from cookie, cracker, and pasta manufacturing (NAICS 31182). The second category includes pasta, so it should not be read as a bakery-only total. The table’s electricity quantities are reported in thousands of kWh, while its cost columns are in thousands of dollars.
| U.S. manufacturing category, 2010 | Electricity purchased (1,000 kWh) | Purchased-fuel cost ($1,000) | Purchased-electricity cost ($1,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread and bakery product manufacturing (NAICS 31181) | 4,597,092 | 224,423 | 383,916 |
| Cookie, cracker, and pasta manufacturing (NAICS 31182) | 2,456,380 | 94,786 | 168,703 |
| Total for the 2 displayed segments | Not stated in the checked figures | 319,209 | 552,619 |
These are historical sector purchase and spending figures, not readings for a present-day bakery or current national totals. The total row above is the guide’s reported total for the 2 displayed segments; it is not presented as a broader manufacturing total. Source: ENERGY STAR, Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Baking Industry, Table 1.
Bakery energy use statistics: Measured energy by stage in a U.S. roll bakery
The same guide reports a separate measurement for one U.S. bakery producing rolls, attributed to Northeast Foods 2012. It expresses each stage as a share of total process energy per pound of dough. That denominator matters: these are shares for the measured dough process, not percentages of all energy used by every bakery function or of finished product weight.
| Process stage | Share of total process energy per pound of dough |
|---|---|
| Mixing | 21.0% |
| Fermentation | 2.0% |
| Shaping | 7.5% |
| Proofing | 25.5% |
| Baking | 40.0% |
| Cooling | 2.0% |
| Slicing | 0.5% |
| Packaging | 1.5% |
In this measured roll operation, baking had the largest listed share at 40.0%, followed by proofing at 25.5% and mixing at 21.0%. Slicing and packaging each accounted for smaller reported shares, 0.5% and 1.5%. The figures describe one bakery’s measured process and should not be generalized as a national average. Source: ENERGY STAR, Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Baking Industry, Table 2.
Bakery energy use statistics: Representative bread and roll process benchmarks
The guide also gives a representative model for U.S. commercial bread and roll bakeries (NAICS 311812). Its percentages are energy per pound of product by process stage, making this a different basis from the measured roll bakery’s energy per pound of dough. The guide was published in December 2012 and identifies Sikirica et al. 2003 as the adapted benchmark source.
| Process stage | Share of energy per pound of product |
|---|---|
| Mixing | 1% |
| Fermentation | 11% |
| Shaping | 4% |
| Proofing | 6% |
| Baking | 66% |
| Cooling | 5% |
| Slicing | 2% |
| Packaging | 5% |
In this representative model, baking is the largest stage at 66%. Fermentation is 11%; proofing is 6%; cooling and packaging are each 5%; shaping is 4%; slicing is 2%; and mixing is 1%. The contrast with the measured roll-bakery shares illustrates that the guide provides distinct kinds of evidence: a generic product-based model and an individual dough-based measurement. Those values are not directly interchangeable. Source: ENERGY STAR, Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Baking Industry, Table 3.
Bakery energy use statistics: Cake and frozen-pastry energy benchmarks
The guide’s cake benchmark covers representative non-frozen cakes made by U.S. commercial bakeries (NAICS 311812). It reports percentages of energy per pound of product. A separate model covers frozen cakes, pies, and other pastries (NAICS 311813); its freezing figure is a process-stage share, not an estimate for all pastry production.
| Non-frozen cake process stage | Share of energy per pound of product |
|---|---|
| Mixing | 6% |
| Form and chill | 6% |
| Baking | 31% |
| Cooling | 0% |
| Pan washing | 27% |
| Finishing | 6% |
| Packaging | 6% |
For the non-frozen cake model, baking accounts for 31% and pan washing for 27%. Mixing, form and chill, finishing, and packaging each have a reported 6% share; cooling is listed as 0%. The 0% is the model’s reported value for that stage, not a general finding that cake cooling requires no energy in real operations.
The frozen-product benchmark reports 32% of energy per pound of product for freezing. That figure applies to the guide’s representative model for frozen cakes, pies, and other pastries, rather than the non-frozen cake model above. Both benchmarks are historical adapted models published in the 2012 guide, not contemporary measurements. Source: ENERGY STAR, Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Baking Industry, Tables 4 and 5.
Bakery energy use statistics: Quito bakery electricity and flour-based indicators
A study of 6 audited bakeries in northern Quito, Ecuador, reports electricity consumption for April 2020. Researchers relied primarily on electricity bills; COVID-19 safety restrictions limited equipment measurement. The billed monthly figures and estimated monthly figures are separate entries in the study and should remain distinct.
| Audited bakery | Electricity bill (kWh/month) | Estimated electricity consumption (kWh/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Bakery 1 | 1,043 | 1,049.82 |
| Bakery 2 | 1,492 | 1,472.31 |
| Bakery 3 | 1,303 | Not stated in the checked figures |
| Bakery 4 | 1,101 | Not stated in the checked figures |
| Bakery 5 | 1,324 | Not stated in the checked figures |
| Bakery 6 | 1,176 | Not stated in the checked figures |
The billed values span individual facilities and one month; they are not annual use or a representative Quito-wide average. The study’s estimated entries for Bakery 1 and Bakery 2 are modeled values retained separately from their bill readings. The checked observations also identify flour-based process indicators in Appendix G/H with a kWh/kg denominator, corresponding to cake and minor-pastry processes. Because no numeric values for those indicators are included in the checked observations here, no figures are supplied for them. Source: Quito bakery case study, Table 1 and Appendix G/H.
Bakery energy use statistics: Ghazni bakery energy use and equipment loads
A study of bakeries in Ghazni, Afghanistan, reports average electricity consumption of 37.25 kWh/day for all equipment in a bakery. Its survey selected 30 bakeries from 180 registered bakeries in the studied city, though the survey period is unspecified. The paper was published online on 28 April 2026. The study also reports average gas consumption of 15 kg/day and average production of 600 bread units/day. The gas figure is a daily mass measure; it is not an energy equivalent, and the bread count is a production indicator rather than an energy unit. Source: Ghazni bakery study, Sections 3.2 and 3.2.1; Table 2.
A separate representative equipment profile in the paper lists daily energy consumption for selected loads. It describes one bakery’s equipment profile and should not be treated as a measured average across all 30 surveyed bakeries.
| Equipment in representative bakery profile | Energy consumption (kWh/day) |
|---|---|
| CW-A5DI electrical oven | 35 |
| LED groups | 0.5 |
| Water heater | 1 |
| Exhaust fan | 0.45 |
| Television | 0.3 |
The electrical oven is listed at 35 kWh/day, while the other listed loads range from 0.3 to 1 kWh/day. These are the table’s daily load values, not a claim about each bakery in the survey. The study’s Table 3 also contains a monthly total with a printed unit conflict: its energy header says kWh/day although the row is labelled monthly. That figure is excluded here as an unclear measure. Source: Ghazni bakery study, Table 3.
Bakery energy use statistics: Indian bread-baking fuel and energy findings
A 2002 study examined fuel source and energy consumption in 19 commercial bakeries in India. Its accessible abstract reports that 8 bakeries used liquid fuel for bread-baking ovens, 6 used firewood, and 5 used electricity. These are counts of bakeries by reported oven fuel, not percentages of oven energy or shares of total production. Source: CFTRI repository record, abstract.
The abstract also reports baking-energy ranges by oven fuel, in MJ/kg bread: 0.625–1.175 for liquid-fuel ovens, 0.705–3.55 for firewood ovens, and 1.43–2.875 for electric ovens. It states that baking accounts for 75–80% of total breadmaking energy requirement in the studied context. The unit and denominator are retained as reported; the ranges are not converted or ranked as universal fuel efficiencies. The complete paper is restricted in the repository, so these findings are supported at abstract level only. Source: CFTRI repository record, abstract.
Sources
- Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Baking Industry
- Energy Efficiency Measures in Bakeries toward Competitiveness and Sustainability—Case Studies in Quito, Ecuador
- Hybrid PV/Wind/Grid Energy System for Commercial Bakeries: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment
- Energy consumption pattern for processing of bread