Consortium Begins Campaign Promoting Motor Efficiency
A consortium made up of motor industry manufacturers and service centers, trade associations, electric utilities and government agencies recently began a campaign promoting the use of sound motor management and planning as a tool for cutting motor energy costs and conserving energy.
Sponsors of the Motor Decisions Matter campaign are promoting and providing tools that enable commercial and industrial customers to develop a motor plan that addresses common motor decisions before equipment failure, which ensures motor availability, reduces downtime, and lowers energy costs.
Energy represents over 97 percent of total motor operating costs. The U.S. Department of Energy says greater attention to motor system management can reduce motor energy costs by as much as 18 percent, while helping to boost motor productivity and reliability.
Research has shown that many motor decision-makers are not aware of energy efficient motors, or their benefits, said Ted Jones of campaign sponsor Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE). According to a recent study, only 19 percent of personnel at U.S. industrial facilities were aware of premium efficiency motors and only 11 percent of customers reported having written specifications for motor purchases, with only two-thirds of those customers including efficiency in their specifications, he said.
"We want corporate and plant managers to realize the financial and performance benefits of sound motor management, which includes proper motor planning, evaluation and analysis, inventory, procurement and repair," Jones said. "By addressing the motor decision-making process, businesses can more effectively capture energy savings in the motor replacement market, while also taking advantage of the savings potential of proper motor repair, sizing and management."
In addition to building awareness about the benefits of motor management and planning, helping customers identify appropriate applications for premium efficiency motors is an important component of the campaign. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently released a premium efficiency specification and brand, called NEMA Premium™, that motor manufacturers, distributors, and the energy efficiency community, such as utilities, can now embrace in common. A product must meet all of the NEMA specified criteria in order to be qualified as a NEMA Premium Compliant Electric Motor by its manufacturer.
NEMA Premium applies to electric motors meeting the following criteria: single-speed, polyphase, 1-500 horsepower, 2, 4, and 6 pole, squirrel cage induction motors, NEMA Design A or B, continuous rated. Qualifying products which meet or exceed the nominal Premium Efficiency levels specified by NEMA may qualify as being NEMA Premium.
Premium efficiency motors are typically constructed with superior materials and have more copper, tighter tolerances and longer warranties. The customer not only benefits from energy savings, but also improved reliability and up-time by replacing worn out, potentially unreliable motors. The initial cost of a premium efficiency motor is insignificant compared to the amount of energy costs the motor will save in energy costs in the long run.
Premium efficiency motors, which operate thousands of hours per year, have proven to amass large savings over the course of the motor's lifetime. The average motor easily consumes 50-60 times its initial purchase price in electricity during a 10-year life.
"Developing a motor plan puts managers and motor decision-makers in a better position to make the most cost-effective decisions in the event of unexpected motor failure," Jones said.
"When a manager has a motor management plan in place, it moves motor decisions from panic to planning. The key is to pick the right motor for the right application ahead of time," he said. "Implementing a management plan helps ensure at the time of motor failure that an energy efficient motor is available, whether by purchasing a spare motor or having the supplier stock a replacement. The best opportunity to install a more efficient motor occurs when the motor fails and must be replaced or repaired. In panic situations, most managers go forward with the most readily available, lowest cost replacement motor, which is not always the most energy efficient."
A sound motor plan would also include criteria for determining when a motor should be repaired or replaced with a more energy efficient model. These decisions can be made ahead of time, considering all situations, rather than waiting until a problem arises, said Linda Raynes, president and CEO of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA).
"A motor management plan, which can be fairly simple to develop, can contain a written set of criteria for repair/replace decisions, stipulate decisions in advance on specific critical application motors or outline a repair/replace decision for each motor in the inventory and list all spares that can be used for different applications," Raynes said. "EASA strongly supports the Motor Decisions Matters campaign and its efforts to make end-users aware of the value of motor planning. The repair center/distributor is in an excellent position to assist customers in developing customized motor plans, including repair/replace policies that make sense for them."
For most motor types, a range of efficiencies is available. Because even small efficiency improvements often make economic sense for equipment operated thousands of hours per year, the overall opportunity for energy savings from more efficient motors remains large.
Several major electric motor manufacturers offer complete lines of energy efficient motors and continue to make advances in that area.
"If companies intend to compete in an environment of rising energy costs and the uncertainty of available electricity, they must embrace the forward thinking of the Motor Decisions Matter campaign," said Rob Boteler of NEMA. "Having a plan in place just makes good financial sense, for any company."
For more information, visit the Motor Decisions Matter Web site at www.motorsmatter.org.