Self-Assessment Tool for the Estimation of the Savings Potential of Electric Motor Systems

The industry and services sectors account for two-thirds of Switzerland’s total electricity consumption. Furthermore, a large portion of electricity consumption in the industry sector is attributable to electric motor systems. Several analyses were conducted during the past five years, and they all found that the savings potential lies between 20% and 30%. However, the companies still do not know the real savings potential of their electric motor systems. In view of this, several tools were developed in order to help them to assess it. This chapter presents a new all-in-one tool for the assessment of the savings potential of pumps, fans, compressed air systems and cooling compressors. Its design is such that companies can use it without assistance. If the data are available, the company can perform a more detailed analysis to increase the precision of the assessment by providing additional information, such as the ratio between the nominal power of the motor and the application (pumps, fans), the load profiles and the ratio between the nominal and maximum loads. Upon completion of this self-assessment, the company receives an estimation of the savings potential of its installations, as well as a list of basic efficiency measures to implement.