Summer motor efficiency legislation needs action now 21 January 2011

Electric motor manufacturers and plant users are being advised to check their selection and operating criteria, as the deadline approaches for legislation mandating new minimum efficiency levels across the EU.

The change take effect in June this year, and Baldor is warning that there could be "enormous implications" across industry – further complicated by the USA's Energy Independence Security Act (EISA) minimum efficiency regulations, which came into force in December.

Robin Cowley, industrial marketing manager for Baldor, believes that as much as one third of the EU's OEMs are still either wholly or partially unaware that new general-purpose ac motors installed from June must meet a minimum efficiency of IE2 (equivalent to the previous CEMEP Eff1 standard).

Most OEMs, he observes, currently use lower-efficiency Eff3- or Eff2- grade ac motors, and the problem, says Cowley, is that building in the higher efficiency motors may require physical and mechanical changes, including to rotational speeds.

He also warns of potential issues around thermal and starting behaviour, which might take weeks or even months to resolve.

"We're sending an SOS to European OEMs that if they do not start considering the impact of motor efficiency regulations immediately, there could be negative implications," says Cowley.

"And when OEMs think about the upgrade to IE2 efficiency levels, we are also suggesting they consider their strategy for the IE3 efficiency level that's coming down the track, because, if they don't, their competitors might – and steal a march."

As for the USA's recent EISA standard, which mandates a minimum efficiency level of NEMA Premium for motors imported into the USA, Cowley notes that this is equivalent to the even higher spec IE3 European standard, not due to come into force until 2015.

"For some equipment, such as pumps or fans, the motor is a significant proportion of the bill of materials and US competitors might offer a lower-spec IE2 alternative in the EU," he suggests.

"However, where a motor is only a small proportion of some larger equipment – on a conveyor system, for example – US competitors have the opportunity to offer premium efficiency as standard. This potentially puts them in a position to gain market share here in Europe."

Brian Tinham

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