Power and Energy Costs

Top costs of poor power management Burned out electro-mechanical equipment Reduced productivity, up to unplanned downtime Calculate your power quality cost and return on investment » Solution: Check harmonics, unbalance and voltage quality If equipment is not operating reliably (frequent, unexplained trips, cycling, and resets), use a power quality analyzer to validate the voltage quality at the service entrance. If transformers, motors, and other equipment are overheating to the point of premature failure, check for unbalance and harmonics on the power supply. EN50160 requires voltage unbalance to be less than 2%. NEMA calls for less than 5% for motor loads. If voltage Total Harmonics Distortion reads higher than 5 % on any phase, investigate further. Top costs of poor energy management Power factor or peak demand charges on your energy bill. Excess power usage by inefficient equipment How much energy does it cost to run your equipment? Here’s a quick read » Solution: Evaluate energy consumption Use a power quality logger or power analyzer to evaluate your facility’s voltage, current and kWh energy consumption at the service entrance and at key locations downstream. Measure the voltage and amperage of large loads and compare to nameplate conditions for that model. If not aligned, that could indicate both poor performance and excessive power consumption. Follow up by logging energy consumption over time on specific equipment. Compare consumption against new, high-efficiency models and assess time-to-pay-off for replacement equipment. Compare your hourly usage rate to your utility fee structure and adjust usage patterns out of high-demand, high-cost times of day.

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Standard 50 hp motor replacement cost: $5000 Typical peak demand charge: $100 per kW

 
Measuring energy consumption with the Fluke 1735

Conduct an Energy Audit