Energy Cost Savings in Motive Power

Motive power accounts for over 65% of the average UK industrial electricity bill; however, in the water industry this percentage is nearer to 90%. During 1994, UK industry spent almost £3000 million on the energy used by motors – mainly attributable to AC induction motors, with pumps and fans being the most common motor applications. Many techniques can be used to reduce the cost of running motors, from simple good-housekeeping measures to sophisticated electronic controls. This technical note reviews a selection of these techniques using independent case studies from the Department of the Environment's ‘best practice programme’to illustrate the cost savings; the use of software to predict energy savings is also discussed.