Pumps: The New Frontier for Energy & Cost Savings

While pump systems can account for 40 percent of industrial energy use, pumps are often overlooked as sources of cost- and energy savings. Industrial leaders may be well versed in the potential savings generated by efficient lighting and line equipment, but what if they could help unlock the equivalent of CO2 emissions from more than 12.9 billion gallons of gas consumed and a year’s worth of electricity for more than 13 million homes? These potential gains can be mined throughout the pump systems that heat and cool buildings, run industrial plants, and irrigate farms. These measures not only help the long-term bottom line, but they can bolster sustainability initiatives. According to a 2019 NAM Sustainability Survey Report, 80 percent of manufacturers said they have a sustainability policy in place or are developing one, and 93.8 percent of companies surveyed track energy usage.

For manufacturers looking for ways to bolster such initiatives, here are a few topline considerations to make to leverage pumps in the sustainability strategies of manufacturers:

See Through the Lens of TCO
A variety of factors for different settings can affect energy savings resulting in the long-term potential for significant cost savings. Upfront costs can often deter specifiers from considering overall savings throughout a pump’s lifecycle. For a typical pumping system, 65 percent of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is related to energy and maintenance while the initial cost only accounts for 10 percent. Trying to reduce cost upfront by extending the pressure and temperature range of a pump could produce much higher TCO due to maintenance costs.

Take a Whole-System Approach

Facility managers must comprehend that pumps should be selected to meet their system requirements—not selecting a system based on your pumps. Once the application of the pump system is selected, the criteria are determined, and this can vary vastly. Energy consumption by a system is dependent on the flow rate of the entire system including the pressure (head) and how often the pump(s) are operating.

Think Smart
There is often the opportunity to improve the performance, efficiency, and reliability of a system with more sophisticated technology. For example, system designers can utilize smart pumps that integrate a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), which have the pump performance programmed in from the factory—or retrofit with a separate VFD. Both solutions reduce the pump speed to meet a designed set point for greater efficiency and cost savings.

To help identify the most efficient pump for the system requirements, the Hydraulic Institute (HI) offers an Energy Rating Program for select pump types below 200 horsepower. Further details can be found on our Energy Efficiency page.

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