Elevator and Escalator “Cruise Control”

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the Department of Energy (DOE), electric motors are the largest end users of electricity in the U.S., and many motors waste enormous amounts of energy. This is because when motors are lightly loaded, or operate under “variably loaded” environments, they tend to be inefficient. For example, motors in escalators are designed for heaviest-case scenarios, in which two passengers alight each and every step. This rarely happens, which means the motor is often lightly loaded and wasting electricity.

“those significant savings will be good for business, good for the environment, and good for the pocket book.”

“While electric motors are designed to run efficiently at high loads in many applications they can run at under 40% of full load for significant periods of time,” says Steven Strasser, an energy development business veteran with over twenty-five years experience in the energy technology space. “Amidst all the speculative talk about solar, wind, and hydrogen power, improving motor efficiency is a huge, relatively untapped green resource.”

Mr. Strasser is Chairman and CEO of Power Efficiency Corporation, a Las Vegas-based clean tech company that designs, develops, markets, and sells motor efficiency controllers that reduce energy consumption in alternating current (AC) induction motors. The company has developed a proprietary technology platform, E-Save Technology®, which has been demonstrated to deliver energy savings up to 35% in constant-speed motor applications, effectively providing “cruise control” for a range of variable load motors.

“E-Save Technology® uses patented algorithms to monitor motors and provide them with the optimal amount of power required to perform a given mechanical task—thereby reducing energy use without changing the speed of the motor,” explains Mr. Strasser. “We estimate that this technology can save the U.S. manufacturing industry alone a whopping $1.7 billion in annual electricity costs.”

Recently, an energy savings test was performed by NV Energy, the electric utility for Nevada, on two 40HP escalators (one up, one down) at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Power Efficiency’s motor efficiency controller lowered the average kW used on the “Up” escalator from 6.08 kW to 4.01 kW for a 34% power savings. The average kW on the “Down” escalator went from 6.08 kW to 4.00 kW for a 36.5% power savings.

“With forthcoming carbon emissions cap-and-trade legislation in the offing,” says Mr. Strasser, “those significant savings will be good for business, good for the environment, and good for the pocket book.” Visit www.powerefficiency.com to learn more.