Electric cremation oven

Conscious living, conscious dying

The awareness of organic and sustainable living is increasing in the Netherlands. What is even less known is that there are also many possibilities to deal with death organically and sustainably. A funeral can be made sustainable by using an environmentally friendly coffin or shroud or a biodegradable urn. The funeral procession can also be organized green, and one can choose to bury in a natural cemetery. At the end of this year, a new possibility will be available in Groningen: the electric cremation oven.

Sustainability in the funeral industry

DELA is building a new crematorium in Hoendiep, where an electric cremation oven will be used. Since this year, all DELA crematoria have already switched to green energy, and with this they are taking another step closer to their goal of being able to organize climate-neutral funerals by 2030. On average, a gas cremation uses around 60 m³ of gas, which amounts to 48,000 m³ per year per crematorium. Compared to a regular household, which uses an average of 1,500 m³ per year, that is a lot. The electric cremation oven therefore saves a huge amount of gas. The building in which the oven will be placed will also generate more energy than it consumes, and organic catering will be used. The building will also be built almost energy neutral, and cradle-to-cradle materials (raw materials that can be fully reused) will be used as much as possible.

DFW Cremation Ovens

The Electric Cremation Oven

The electric cremation oven works almost the same as a gas oven, but then the heat is created by electricity instead of natural gas. The power required for this is obtained from Dutch wind sources and solar energy. With this method of cremation there is no combustion, the body decays purely due to the heat. Then the ashes are processed in a cremulator, just like with a regular cremation, after which approximately 3 kilos of ash remain.