Energy Efficiency: Exploring Energy Saving Capabilities in Gearmotors

“Energy efficiency seems to be the buzz phrase in the industry in the last few years. What is energy efficiency? What criteria are used to comprehensively compare all supposedly energy efficient gearmotors?

Unfortunately, energy efficiency is subjective; what is efficient in one company or in one application will undoubtedly be inefficient in another application, even if the specifications are similar. Admittedly, energy efficient motors can have multiple layers of benefits, including protection of valuable environmental resources and fund reallocation from energy bills to other areas of the company. In battery-powered applications higher efficiency will also result in longer battery life.

One should not make the mistake of assuming that just because a motor or gearmotor is marked ‘energy efficient’ in the specs or on the label that it is the best choice for a particular application. It is now more common for most end products to be energy efficient but in order for the end product to be truly efficient the motor or gearmotor itself must also be efficient. That means other factors, such as the size of a gearmotor, DC power and gearbox type may be more important. (Note: Because gearmotors make use of gears for speed reduction, they are sometimes able to provide much more torque then their size suggests).

Often, efficiency is only thought of in terms of energy cost savings, but initial product purchase price is should be considered when evaluating efficiencies of different devices. Consider the increased system cost related to powering a low efficiency motor. Just about every component of an electrical system must be sized based on current draw and typically less efficient devices require a higher current carrying capacity.