Energy saving: How changing motors and drives can save you money

An energy-saving motor ready to go to a customer

Our qualified technical service engineers are familiar with the energy saving applications which can help to save you money. By changing motors and drives to the latest energy efficient models from leading manufacturers, you can be sure to get the quickest return on your investment.

We will arrange for an engineer to visit your site to discuss our proposal and prepare a before-and-after case study. This will detail optimum speed/load and payback time. We use the most up-to-date monitoring equipment which can map your energy demand 24 hours a day.

Using the best motors will typically save about four to five per cent all electric motor energy consumption, says a report*. Linking these motors with electro-mechanical solutions cost‐optimised for the end‐user will typically save another 15 to 25 per cent. The potential exists to improve energy efficiency of motor systems by roughly 20 to 30 per cent, which would reduce total global electricity demand by about 10 per cent.

The three major routes to achieving these energy savings are:

Use of properly sized and energy‐efficient motors.
Use of adjustable‐speed drives where appropriate, to match motor speed and torque to the system mechanical load requirements. This makes it possible to replace inefficient throttling devices and, in some cases with “direct‐drive”, to avoid wasteful mechanical transmissions and gears.
Optimisation of the complete system, including correctly sized motor, pipes and ducts, efficient gears and transmissions, and efficient end‐use equipment (fans, pumps, compressors, traction, and industrial handling and processing systems) to deliver the required energy service with minimal energy losses.

* Report:www.oecd-ilibrary.org/energy/energy-efficiency-policy-opportunities-for-electric-motor-driven-systems_5kgg52gb9gjd-en International Energy Agency working paper. 'Energy-Efficiency Policy Opportunities for Electric Motor-Driven Systems' by Paul Waide and Conrad U Brunner.

Cutting energy bills

A customer asked if we could help him save energy in the face of steeply rising bills.

We looked at his electric motors and calculated that an upgrade to IE4 models would yield an annual saving of about 21,000kWh of energy per motor.

We'd be pleased to discuss with you how to reduce energy use and save money in your business.