02/03/2023 | PRODUCTS
On 1 July 2023 the 2nd step of the EU Ecodesign Regulation 2019/1781 will come into force regulating the energy efficiency standards for electric motors and variable speed drives.
New energy standards in Europe
Standards and regulations for energy efficiency are intensifying around the world. In Europe, Ecodesign is the Directive that defines all the efficiency requirements governing products consuming electricity for industrial, commercial and domestic use. The European objective is to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact by establishing minimum efficiency standards for products on the market.
Come into force on 1 July 2021 as the 1st step, the regulation is now approaching to the 2nd step starting from 1 July 2023. The 2nd step establishes increasingly stringent performance requirements in the efficiency of motors, extending the scope of the regulation to new ranges, namely single-phase motors and Ex eb motors. 20% of world energy consumption is made up of electricity, of which 50% is used by electric motors: therefore the importance of technologies that contribute to reducing energy consumption is evident.
From July 2023 in the European Union the minimum efficiency requirement of asynchronous electric motors in the range 0.12-0.55 kW is the efficiency class IE2, in the range 0.75-1000 kW is the efficiency class IE3, excluding the range 75-200 kW that starts at IE4.
Aware that the Ecodesign Directive aims to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, objectives that we at Lafert have been pursuing for many years, we want to be at the forefront in compliance with the standard, to help build a healthier, cleaner and more sustainable world.
Expected energy savings through optimization of electrical systems
Although they are driven by high efficiency electric motors, many of the motorized systems currently in use are inefficient and waste a lot of energy. The use of energy saving technologies, such as drives and variable speed drives, saves between 15 and 40% of the energy consumed depending on the application.
For example, the European Commission has recently estimated that replacing a conventional pumping system with a highly energy efficient system, consisting of motor and drive, integrated and designed for the application, can result in a 57% saving in energy consumption. In terms of cost, for every euro invested in improving the energy efficiency of the system with a motor-drive package, at least 7 euros will be saved in energy costs over the entire life cycle of the equipment. These results demonstrate the importance of examining product performance and efficiency from a system perspective and not just on individual components.
We work together for a more sustainable world thanks to our Premium Efficiency motors
In recent months, efforts to ensure the regulatory transition have been costly on both fronts, both for manufacturers in the engineering and electrical sectors but also for customers and partners. The regulatory transition has in fact meant the use of dedicated resources for the energy adaptation of a wide range of motors, but has also meant the opportunity to acquire more and more know-how and awareness on the subject of energy saving.
The technology needed to reduce the energy consumption of electric motors has long been available in our product ranges. Our Premium Efficiency asynchronous motors are IE3 efficiency motors, while the entire range of permanent magnet synchronous motors is IE4 and IE5 Ultra Premium Efficiency.
We have sixty years of experience in the design and co-design of custom solutions: we know how to develop the most suitable energy efficient motor for the needs of each sector and application.
Thanks to the synergies implemented with the companies of the Sumitomo Group, we have solutions including drive for the electronic speed control, now recognized as the key to optimizing systems and further reducing energy consumption. We offer integrated solutions and complete packages, in compact dimensions, which guarantee maximum waste reduction and designed for all applications where energy efficiency is fundamental.
