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Everyone's Talking Premium Efficiency, But How Many Are Listening?
February 1, 2010 — by Tomasz Gasiorowski
The more I talk to people about 2010 Premium Efficiency Motor Legislation, the more I am astounded by just how little people know, or, more importantly, understand how the new legislation will impact their business.
Just think about it for one second — in less than a year, the most popular motors you currently sell and/or purchase will be bygones to the past. The new law, which goes into effect on December 19, 2010, will require that ALL general purpose motors as specified in MG 1-2006, Tables 12-12 (see figure 1 for an at-a-glance look) meet premium efficiency requirements. Motor manufacturers and suppliers will no longer be able to produce or import these motors for sale into the United States at 12:01 AM on December 20th.
It might seem scary to think about that at first, but there's also a silver lining on the horizon. Check out the summary below for a few key benefits to going green and get the answers to the most frequently asked questions about premium efficiency motors.
Figure 1 — Motors Affected by the New Premium Efficiency Requirements
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- Yes, premium efficiency motors are more expensive than their EPACT counterparts, but there are also significant savings involved. First, you or your customer may be eligible for incentives or rebate. For example, a new $700 million motor rebate bill was recently introduced in the House of Representatives. The new "Crush for Credit" legislation proposes a $25 / per horsepower rebate for replacing existing motors with NEMA Premium motors as well as a $5 per horsepower rebate for scrapping old motors. That's almost $5000 savings for a 200 HP motor! In addition, many utility companies are still offering rebates. Don't forget to check with your utility company to see what is available.
- We've all heard the green buzz and the question about what else we can do as a country to reduce our energy consumption, but did you know this: Based on DOE data, the new NEMA premium efficient motor program would save 5800 gigawatts of electricity and prevent the release of nearly 80 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere over the next ten years alone. That's the equivalent to keeping 16 million cars off the road.
- The more the motor runs, the more savings get put back into your pocket, especially in regions of the country where utility rates are the highest. In industrial applications that require continuous duty, energy efficient motors have the potential to pay for themselves in a few years or sometimes in as little as a few months due to energy savings.
- Over the course of 20 years, energy consumption accounts for approximately 97% of the cost to power a motor (with only 2-3% being the initial cost of the motor). That makes the initial cost of the motor practically insignificant, especially when you consider that energy costs are ongoing and can only get more expensive over time.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions Related to Premium Efficiency Motors
When was the law signed?
The law was signed on December 19, 2007 by President Bush and is included in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) in public law 140-110. EISA 2007 builds upon the existing EPACT standard.When does the law take effect?
The law goes into effect on December 19, 2010.When will Toolmex offer Premium Efficient motors?
Elektrimax Premium Efficient General Purpose motors from 1-250HP are expected to arrive in Mid-March, 2010. Elektrim Premium Efficient High Performance motors are expected in late 2010.
Can I still buy EPACT motors after December 19, 2010?
Yes, but it depends on the pre-December 19, 2010 availability of your motor supplier. Motor manufacturers and suppliers can still sell through their pre-existing EPACT motor stock. The law siimply doesn't allow any motor manufacturer or supplier to produce or import any new motors into the United States that do not meet applicable premium efficiency requirements where mandated.
Figure 2 —Possible Improvements of EPACT motors to meet Premium motor specifications
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Send to a friend — See Comments (1) — Add a commentWhy are Premium Efficiency motors more expensive than their EPACT counterparts?
Premium Efficiency motors are more expensive than their EPACT counterparts because it requires more and better materials to attain the premium efficiency requirements mandated. Also, premium efficiency motors require a higher quality production process and better components (See Figure 2).What is the energy savings advantage for Premium Efficiency motors versus EPACT?
The energy savings gained from using a premium efficiency motor in place of EPACT varies depending on the motor's duty cycle and energy costs. Motors that run continuously in a high-cost energy market will earn more savings than motors that run sporadically in low-cost energy markets. For your convenience, we have created a simple Excel formatted energy calculator to assist you in determining the energy savings you might expect with Elektrimax Premium Efficiency General Purpose motors.How do I know if a motor is really Premium-Efficient?
You can tell if a motor is premium-efficient by checking the nameplate for notated nominal efficiency and certificate of compliance number: In the case of Elektrimax Premium Efficiency General Purpose motors, the nominal efficiency is notated on the nameplate and meets NEMA Premium Efficiency levels contained in MG 1-2006, Tables 12-12. Certificate of Compliance issued by US Department of Energy certifies that certain basic models of electric motors manufactured or distributed comply with the applicable efficiency requirements contained in federal regulation.How much has the Efficiency improved from EPACT to Premium Efficiency?
The improvement of motor efficiencies from EPACT to Premium varies by motor, from 0.40% to 3%. Generally speaking, smaller HP motors have the biggest increase in efficiency.What about motors not previously covered by EPACT — will they need to meet premium efficiency as well?
General Purpose electric motors not previously covered by EPACT will not need to meet premium efficiency standards. However, they will now be required to meet the energy efficient requirements as defined by NEMA MG 1, Table 12-11. The motors that must now meet the NEMA MG 1, Table 12-11 requirements are: U-Frame, Design C, Close-Coupled Pump motors, Footless motors, VHS motors tested in horizontal configuration, 900 RPM motors, polyphase motors with voltage of no more than 600 volts (other than 230V or 460V) and 201-500 HP Design B motors not previously covered by EPACT.What motors are not covered by EISA 2007?
Motors that are not required to meet EISA 2007standards are Design D, adjustable speed with optimized windings, intermittent duty, integral with gearing or brake where motor cannot be used separately and submersible motors.Are fractional HP and 56C Frame motors included in the new premium efficiency law?
No, the law only pertains to 1-500 HP motors with 3-digit NEMA frame numbers (such as 143T and up) and equivalent IEC frames.Does EISA 2007 require that existing motors in operation be replaced?
No, but you may be eligible for rebates where applicable should you choose to replace motors currently in use with premium efficient motors.How does this affect motors that are export items to locations outside the United States?
EISA premium efficiency requirements do not apply to motors or motors mounted on equipment exported outside of the US. However, the US Department of Energy does require that these motors or their containers be marked as export items. Check with the destination country for their applicable efficiency requirements.