20.10.2020

The fire reinvented - ÖkoFEN enables "Flameless heat from pellets" with ZeroFlame

ÖkoFEN, with its headquarters in Niederkappel/Upper Austria, is considered Europe's pioneer and specialist for pellet heating systems with over 30 years of experience in renewable heating. In recent years, the company has already presented innovations such as pellet condensing technology and the myEnergy365 energy system. ÖkoFEN now presents another milestone in the field of heating with wood pellets. With the new ZeroFlame-Technology the company revolutionises the burning of pellets and achieves dust emissions close to zero.

New technology from ÖkoFEN reduces dust emissions up to 95%
Particulate matter and dust emissions are an ongoing issue in the heating industry. For air pollution control and possible innovation incentives lower emission values are demanded. After years of intensive work in the company's own R&D department and a Europe-wide field test, ÖkoFEN has succeeded in taking a big step towards absolutely clean energy conversion from wood pellets.

The aim was to develop a solution that would bring absolutely no restrictions to the previous technology in terms of comfort and reliability. Alternatively, electric high-voltage particle filters are used in the industry, but they are cost-intensive and rarely maintenance-free. So this option was soon discarded. So the company continued to work resolutely on a better, simpler solution, which takes place directly in the combustion chamber.

With ZeroFlame, the worldwide new combustion technology, ÖkoFEN has achieved a milestone. The special-guided airflow and air-enrichment in combination with a special combustion chamber design leads to a very special effect. The flame disappears almost completely during combustion and reduces particulate matter to a minimum. All that remains is: Cosy warmth and clean exhaust air!

"We are proud to take a big step towards emission-free energy conversion from wood pellets with this innovative technology", says ÖkoFEN Managing Director Stefan Ortner.

The cleanest ÖkoFEN pellet boiler ever - Tested by TÜV Austria
Compared to the conventional pellet boiler systems currently available, the dust reduction is up to 95 percent, thus making a very important contribution to environmental protection worldwide. These values and the excellent effect of the new technology have been officially confirmed by a practical 9-hour load cycle test carried out by TÜV-Austria, which depicts the typical operation of a pellet boiler system over a year.

The significance of the innovation is clearly evident when compared with other forms of heating. Comparisons with results of a study by the German Federal Environment Agency show: In practice, an existing oil-fired heating system may has a higher particulate matter load than the new technology. Considered the complex upstream chain of oil (consideration of the expenditure for energy generation, energy conversion, transport, etc.). Pellet heating with ZeroFlame technology is therefore a top solution for clean air.

The overall environmental benefits are significant, especially considered the approx. 18 million oil-fired heating systems in Europe that still need to be replaced. Thanks to the all-new innovative ZeroFlame technology, a CO2-neutral implementation is possible and at the same time offers a considerable saving potential in particulate matter.

Available from spring/summer 2021
The new flameless technology will be available from Spring/Summer 2021 for the Pellematic Condens series from 10-14 kW. Interested parties have the opportunity to test a pre-series version from winter 2020. As the leading trade fairs 2021 have been cancelled, ÖkoFEN will present the new Pellematic Condens with ZeroFlame-Technology to the trade public in a roadshow starting in spring 2021.

ÖkoFEN pellet boilers are in high demand
ÖkoFEN draws a positive balance for the year 2019 and was able to achieve a sales growth of about 40 percent compared to the year before. In total, the Austrian pellet specialists already delivered more than 10,000 heating systems worldwide in the previous year. As a result, ÖkoFEN increased its corporate sales in the 2019 financial year by 38 percent to EUR 80 million (sales in the previous year were EUR 58 million). The company currently employs 250 people in Austria.

Much of the growth is attributable to the company's broad product range and innovative technologies. With nine different models ranging from 10 to 512 kW output, ÖkoFEN offers the right product for every need. Every second pellet boiler produced by ÖkoFEN will now be supplied with the more efficient condensing technology presented in 2015.

Expansion of company headquarters in Niederkappel completed
Due to the strong increase in demand and the positive forecasts, ÖkoFEN started in autumn 2019 with the expansion of the production area at the company headquarters in Niederkappel. The great export success of the pellet boilers and the doubling of production volumes within only two years made it necessary to expand the production site.

"With a total investment of more than 7 million euros, the existing production hall was doubled by 6,500 m² to a total area of 13,000 square metres," says Stefan Ortner.

Further expansion of the company headquarters planned
With the increased production area, the company is equipped for further expected growth in the short term. For the year 2020, the Austrian pellet boiler manufacturer expects a further increase in sales of 40 percent and the delivery of around 15,000 pellet boilers. Should this development continue, a further expansion step at the company's headquarters in Niederkappel will already be necessary in the next few years.

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