Looking to maximize energy efficiency? Start with the opportunities your Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System offer you. With energy costs continually rising, this is an area where Applied Industrial Technologies can help you identify changes that significantly decrease energy consumption and ultimately impact your utility bill.
Your top three HVAC Energy Improvement Opportunities:
1) Motors
Whether heating, cooling or venting a building, air movement is powered by a
motor. And that motor consumes 50 to 60 times its initial purchase price in electricity during an average service life. As such, motor selection can impact your utility bill considerably. And as energy costs continue to rise, energy hogging motors will cost you more and more
The solution? Invest in motors manufactured to NEMA Premium® standards. The NEMA Premium label is available through most motor manufacturers and helps you optimize efficiency, reduce electrical power costs and improve system reliability. A relatively small up front investment will pay back quickly and also pay dividends in energy savings for years and years to come. The savings are so significant, it can be worthwhile to replace fully serviceable standard efficiency motors.
2) Belts
The type of belt you select for your HVAC system will affect energy usage. Certain types of belts are more efficient than others, offering maximum performance.
The majority of HVAC systems use v-belts, which lose efficiency because they are not properly tensioned over time. Cogged belts last longer and are about 2% more efficient than standard v-belts.
Synchronous belts, however, are your most efficient option. To lower energy consumption, an Applied
® Account Manager worked with this customer to convert all v-belts on HVAC fan drives to synchronous belts. This simple change saved the customer $17,612 in annual energy savings.
3) Variable Frequency Drives (VFD)
The use of
VFDs can also have a sizeable, positive effect on reducing a facility’s energy consumption. VFDs allow operators to run motors at lower speed when full operating capacity is not required. For example: A facility manager reduces the airflow through the building at night by adjusting the angel of the fan blades every evening. Because the motor continues to run at its maximum speed, however, electricity usage is unaffected. When a VFD is installed, the motor’s speed is reduced every night – just enough to keep air moving. As a result, the annual energy cost of $47,000 drops to $22,000.
Applied® can help you reach maximum energy efficiency in your HVAC systems.
Contact your Applied® Account Manager today at 1-877-279-2799.
Maximize Energy Efficiency in your Facility