Energy Efficient Elevators = Untapped Means Of Greatly Reducing Building Operating Costs, Study Finds

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

The use of energy efficient elevators is a relatively untapped means of greatly reducing building operating costs, according to a new study from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Despite the great potential there as far as reducing costs, the study also found that the information needed to aid building owners in identifying the appropriate elevator system for their building just simply isn’t out there. This means that building owners often end up with expensive, energy-hogging systems — and unnecessarily so.

ThyssenKrupp elevator retrofit packages saves energy

Explaining the importance of the findings, study author Harvey Sachs stated: “Enhanced visibility when it comes to elevator efficiency can help customers grasp the full value package of better controls, improved performance, reduced sound, and increased comfort.”

A recent press release provides more:

Elevators and escalators make up 2-5% of the energy used in most buildings, but can reach as high as 50% during peak operational times. At 5%, that means the yearly energy consumption of US elevators is approximately 5 times of that used in all of Washington DC. The technology exists today to reduce that consumption by 40% or more, especially by cutting energy use between trips, when an elevator is idle, according to the study.

Some technologies have been found to reduce consumption by as much as 75%, but without a standard way to measure energy savings and a rating system to distinguish more efficient elevators, building owners may be unaware of the benefits of upgrading to a more efficient system or choosing a more efficient system for new construction.

The new study — which was presented by Sameer Kwatra of ACEEE at the recent 2015 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Winter Conference in Chicago — also puts forward a framework for industry players to go about setting up common standards for determining elevator efficiency. Something that could potentially lead to a rating system — perhaps something similar to US Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR ratings (for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, and home appliances)?

As the report notes, even relatively simple approaches to reducing energy use — reducing standby power (lights, ventilation), etc — can result in big savings. Effective solutions need not be complex or expensive to implement (upfront costs).

Those interested can find the study here.

Image Credit: ThyssenKrupp


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

James Ayre has 4830 posts and counting. See all posts by James Ayre