Motor Systems • Pumps & Fans • VFD

Motor & VFD Savings Master

Compare IE2→IE3→IE4 motor upgrades, add VFD speed control, and quantify the difference vs throttle/damper. Includes duty-cycle modeling, charts, CO₂, payback, and PDF report export.

Confidence: Medium

Controls

Use-case libraryi
Presets set typical duty cycles, baseline control, and economics (editable).
Rated motor poweri
Tip: 1 hp ≈ 0.746 kW.
Operating hoursi
Load typei
Average loadi
If you have multiple operating points, switch to Advanced and use duty cycle.
Electricity pricei
Grid emissions factori

Results

Best: —
Annual savings
—
—
Payback
—
Simple payback
CO₂ reduction
—
—
Scenario kWh/year Cost/year CO₂/year CAPEX Annual savings Payback NPV
Cost by scenario
Cumulative cashflow (best scenario)
Report summary
—

Related Tools

Boiler & Steam Savings Suite

Model fuel, water, treatment, CO₂ savings and payback for boilers and condensate return.

Industrial Bill Optimizer

Demand charges, TOU modeling, peak shaving, and cashflow impacts for industrial facilities.

Power Factor Correction

Calculate capacitor sizing and penalties reduction for factories and large loads.

Related Articles

Industrial Energy Efficiency

Core levers for reducing industrial energy intensity and improving OPEX.

Factory Energy: Common Mistakes

Most common causes of high bills and how to prioritize fixes.

Industrial Fuel Efficiency & Decarbonization

Efficiency-first strategy to cut emissions and improve competitiveness.

FAQ

Why do VFDs sometimes show lower efficiency at part load?
VFDs have fixed electronic losses (switching and control power). At low load those losses become a larger percentage of total, so efficiency typically decreases.
For pumps and fans, why does speed control save so much energy?
For centrifugal pumps and fans (variable torque), power is approximately proportional to speed cubed. Reducing speed reduces power sharply compared to throttling with a valve or damper.
When should I use Advanced Mode duty cycle?
Use Advanced Mode when your system operates at multiple speeds/flows throughout the year. Entering a duty cycle provides more accurate annual energy and savings estimates than a single average load.
Is the throttle/damper baseline accurate?
This tool uses a screening penalty factor to approximate throttling losses. For audit-grade results, refine assumptions using pump/fan curves, measured operating points, and field data.