ABB’s drives and motors swappage scheme

"The scheme coincides with the introduction of the government's CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and aims to give organisations an additional incentive to meet their carbon dioxide reduction commitment," says Steve Ruddell, division manager for ABB's discrete automation and motion business. Organisations that take advantage of the swappage scheme will also benefit from improved energy efficiency and reduced maintenance downtime, helping to lower costs after the new equipment is installed. In order to get the correct drive or motor to match the needs of individual installations, ABB is offering a free, no obligation energy appraisal. A qualified engineer will come to site and carry out a full energy appraisal, giving an accurate picture of how energy is being used on the premises. The energy appraisal consists of an engineer assessing the installation; identifying areas that will yield the greatest return through upgrade; and determining the potential savings that can be achieved after new equipment is installed. ABB partners will also help organisations meet the cost of investment in new equipment by offering help and advice with interest-free loan applications and Enhanced Capital Allowances through the Carbon Trust. The scheme addresses a market for replacement drives that continues to grow. In 2010 it is expected that 40 percent of all new drive purchases will be replacing existing drives. "The reliability of well maintained drives gradually declines once they get to between 15 and 20 years of age," says Ruddell. "To avoid costly downtime towards the end of the product's life, our scheme identifies the older drives, gives advice on the installation issues and recommends a drive replacement programme. As drive losses are typically reduced by more than 10 percent with a modern drive, the replacement and retrofit installation often pays for itself with the increased energy savings." According to Ruddell, users normally replace drives in a breakdown situation because spares are either unavailable or the repair is too expensive. Ruddell estimates that over half of all drives sold today are retrofitted to improve the efficiency of existing systems; a significant part of this is replacement of older drives. "Users can also reap a number of other benefits from renewing their drives," Ruddell continues. "The higher efficiency of new drives instantly saves money, as the losses are reduced by at least 10 percent. Furthermore, reduced size saves plant room space, lower component count improves reliability and more up to date technology means additional features, such as enhanced energy savings and improved communications capabilities." A new drive can save as much as £1,000 per year in energy. For instance, ABB's current drive has an efficiency figure more than 10 per cent higher than its most popular drive from the 1980s. It is also only one-third of the size of the older drive. The new drive additionally offers flux optimisation, which can save a further 10 per cent of the energy in pump and fan applications. The importance of energy efficiency to a motor's life cycle costs is often not well understood. It is startling to realise that an 11 kW motor costing about £700 can consume over £67,000 worth of electricity over a 10 year operating life. Energy efficiency is far more significant to the bottom line than the purchase price. "Even small differences in efficiency make big differences to a motor's life cycle costs. However, when swift action is needed, the efficiency of the new motor is rarely considered. The natural instinct of many plant managers is to send a failed unit out to be rewound. But blindly following this habit can cost the company many thousands of pounds in unnecessary energy costs every year as rewinding can cause a decrease in efficiency. For more information on ABB's swappage scheme call 07000 DRIVES (374837) or email: energy@gb.abb.com quoting reference "swappage"