In pursuit of global targets to reduce climate change, many countries have enforced the use of various efficiency classes of motors, but Africa, including South Africa, does not have something similar in place.

Considering that between 40% and 50% of power consumed on an electricity grid can be attributed to the use of electric motors, manufacturer Zest WEG sales manager for electric motors Francois Labuschagne states that “any improvement in motor efficiency would greatly reduce the total electricity load”.

It will also help to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired power generation, he adds, lamenting the delay in adequate legislative measures on the African continent.

In spite of this, not all is lost, as there is a continuous drive to ensure that the end-user understands that a motor’s purchase price typically makes up about 2% of its lifecycle cost over a decade, with another 3% of this cost consumed by maintenance, the remaining 95% of the cost of running a motor is attributed to the energy that it consumes.

However, the biggest challenge is not the lack of legislation, he explains, but that “procurement is incentivised by buying cheap”.

“Reducing energy consumption is the best way of saving costs when it comes to operating motors, but one of the challenges is that companies incentivise their procurement departments to save money on upfront capital purchases, rather than on the long-term cost to company,” he stresses.

“Where a purchaser does not understand where their motors’ real costs are incurred – that is, in their energy consumption – they will continue to pursue a false economy by choosing products with the lowest capital cost,” he says.

While an end-user may be enthused by a cheaper purchasing price, Labuschagne encourages end-users to instead consider what they might save on electricity and efficiency when purchasing a, albeit more expensive, higher efficiency motor.

Had legislation been in place, he notes it would have simplified the industry’s requirements and needs, though, overall, “most people are on board and understand the energy efficiency concept”.

In this regard, WEG has been making efficiency innovations to its motors for decades, and in South Africa Zest WEG offers its IE4 super premium efficiency motors from 37 kW upwards, at the same price as its IE3 premium efficiency units.

The IE5 motor, meanwhile, takes the company’s offerings into the ultra-premium energy efficiency class, as they are well suited for fan applications, and for use in the agricultural sector.

Using smaller fans in these situations can give users the opportunity to install multiple units where they used to have only one large fan, he explains, noting that it is critical when temperature conditions can change throughout the day, or when one or more of the fans can be switched off completely, further reducing energy consumption.