Cutting Electrical Costs Using ECM Motors
Everyone who owns a home knows that the costs of home ownership go well beyond just paying the mortgage, insurance and taxes. It also includes the cost of heating and cooling the home; which can be significant.
One of the major uses of electricity is the electrical motor that turns the fan in the forced air heating/cooling system found in most homes. The motors range in horsepower from 1/3 to 3/4 HP and many of them are the standard induction motors. These motors use a lot of electricity and are relatively inefficient; often running 12 to 24 hours per day especially in the hottest and coldest months of the year.
Depending upon the electrical costs in your area; usually measured in costs per kilowatt hour, your overall electrical costs to run your home may range from as low as $50.00 per month to upwards of $300.00 per month or more for larger homes. Interestingly almost 40% to 50% of these costs may come from running the heating/cooling fan motors.
Since the early 2000’s the ECM motors or Electrically Commutated Motors were introduced ( BY GE). Unlike standard induction motors that use windings and have only two to three speeds available, the ECM motors use a series of magnets to turn the motor shaft and have a speed range that runs from less than 10% to 100% of available power ….and this can be digitally controlled in 1% increments so you have a very wide range of speeds to run the motor.
Not only does this variable speed capability allow for better air flow control for your heating/cooling fan but is also uses up to 50% less electricity than the standard induction motors running at the same horsepower.
Pure Air Systems was the first HEPA based air filtration company to introduce these motors as the main motor drive unit for the complete line of fan powered, commercial grade, certified HEPA systems. In fact, PAS introduced the GE ECM motor drive systems in 1999, almost 3 years before these motors were introduced into the HVAC systems. Today, the ECM motors are ubiquitous in the heating/cooling and appliance industries.
Aside from their variable speed and low power consumption capabilities, they are also capable of being programed for a variety of applications. For the HEPA units these motors are capable of automatically ramping up when the pressure drop across the HEPA filter starts to increase and thus maintaining the same air volume throughout the life of the HEPA filters.
When the HEPA units are used in conjunction with a heating/cooling system also using the ECM motors, you have the best of both worlds.
For more information on the Pure Air Systems ECM driven HEPA systems please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems. com