PumpBlogs 
Change to Survive
One thing we can count on in this world is change, nothing stays the same. Change can occur out of necessity, i.e. technology or to maintain an economic edge over the competition. No matter what the reason it is not a good business practice to maintain the status quo. Having said that, why do we (industry) continue to design / specify inefficient pumping systems? It is still common practice to design a pumping system for “future capacity” oversize the motor then add a 1.15 service factor. All for the sake of future demand. Does this make sense in today’s business environment where energy costs are sky rocketing at double digits rates? Energy costs will continue to rise there is no end in sight. The only way to off set the rising cost is to raise the price of your product creating an endless cycle cost increases. We can slow this process by being a bit more energy conscious when specifying and or designing pumping systems. Is it cost effective to oversize a pumping system for future demand? It all depends on how long you intend to operate at the lower rate.
Let’s take a look at motor life cycle cost. The purchase price of a motor is roughly 2.7% of the total life cycle cost while electricity cost comprises 97.3%. Now we will associate some dollars to the equation:
Purchase Price 60 hp Motor
Annual Use 8,760hrs
Efficiency 93.6%
Fuel/Energy Cost $0.10 kW/hr
Annual Operating Cost $41,890.00 per/yr
Operating cost as % of Purchase Price 1600%
Pump life cycle cost is energy intensive as well. The LCC of a 75hp pump over a 20 year period is approximately $750.000 ($0.07 kW/hr)
Environmental 7%
Downtime 9%
Operating 9%
Installation 9%
Pump 14%
Energy 32%
Maintenance 20%
Does it still make sense to oversize a system for future demand? Run the numbers, factor in projected energy costs, you might be surprised. Planning for expansion is important but not at the expense of your companies bottom line.
Change is good, optimizing your pumping system is even better.
