Motor Selector software
Background
Electric motors use 60 per cent of the electricity supplied to industry and can cost up to 10 times their purchase price in energy costs annually. When buying motors you can select from a range of products with different operational characteristics and efficiencies.
The traditional considerations of purchase price and/or simple payback used to select motors may in fact lead to higher than expected costs down the track. Proper analysis will ensure that your long-term decisions are economically wise, energy efficient and environmentally sound.
It is also important to remember that, no matter how well a motor is selected, if equipment is badly maintained or processes are run when not required, savings can be quickly eroded. Efficiency improvement (operating cost reduction) does not end with equipment selection and in fact greater gains can often be made through improved maintenance or process optimisation. The Motors Solutions Online Reference manual can help you manage your new equipment to ensure a long life at peak performance.
Motor Selector has been developed by the Australian Greenhouse Office, in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Program of the Department of Industry Tourism and Resources.
Making the right decision
It is customary when selecting a motor to seek the least cost option, which is often equated with a low purchase price. However, this approach is not as sensible as it seems at first glance. A major reason is that the true cost includes annual running costs that may well be up to ten times the purchase price of your motor.
If you do not take running costs into account, you are faced with higher-than-predicted production costs, which could impact on your bottom line for the whole the 15 to 25 year lifetime of the motor. At the same time, a great deal of energy is wasted and your CO2 (greenhouse gas) emissions will be high. Most organisations are now aware of the benefits of energy efficiency and may be signatories of voluntary CO2 reduction agreements.
Even after running costs have been considered, motor options are often assessed using simple payback. This does not take into account the time value of money and therefore simple payback may not indicate which option is truly the most cost effective. Calculating and comparing the equivalent annual cost (EAC) is the best method to decide which motor to purchase. The EAC is the annuity payment that has a present value equal to the net present cost and is therefore truly representative of the life cycle cost.
About Motor Selector software
The free Motor Selector software provides a simple way of analysing the complex factors that determine whether or not a motor will provide long-term cost benefits. These factors include purchase price, load profile, life cycle costs, plant data, efficiency, financial risk, noise, warranty, tariff, CO2 emissions and more.
The best motor for a particular job is not necessarily the one with the lowest purchase price and quickest payback, but the one with the most profitable mix of all factors.
Motor Selector asks you for facts on the job the motor is required for. You can provide these to your motor supplier to get details on suitable motors for your application, which you can enter into the Motor Selector program. The program then analyses the facts and compares the options, enabling you to select the most suitable motor.
Motor Selector was developed collaboratively with the Australian Greenhouse Office and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.
Motor Selector analyses the key variables
Analysing the key variables can be a complex task. Estimating running costs, for example, is difficult - energy tariffs are often complex, as are varying seasonal or daily load profiles. The application may also have a big impact. Centrifugal pump and fan applications consume energy in proportion to the application speed cubed. Small changes in speed can result in large changes in energy consumed. Motor Selector makes it easy for you to take all these factors into account easy.
Motor Selector has been developed using a wide range of financial, technical and other expertise. The result is a modelling of each factor, which gives you a simple yet sound and realistic appraisal of the impact that each motor option will have on your business and on the environment.
Motor Selector 'help' contains comprehensive information on the factors that effect motor operation, such as the impact rewinding has on motor efficiency.
Tariff and load modules
Motor Selector has narrowed the complexity of electricity tariffs down to a workable and practical model into which you can easily enter energy tariffs, network tariffs and demand charges. If required, you can use a quick and simple process to enter a different load and tariff for each half-hour of the day. Once created, these tariff and load profiles can be saved and used in other projects or with other technology selection options in Motor Selector.
You can develop a range of different scenarios and see the impact on energy costs. For example, you can measure the energy savings that will result if equipment is turned on and off at various times to take advantage of lower tariffs, even if the total amount of energy consumed stays constant.
Financial evaluation module
The time value of money and the effect of project risk are two vital factors that determine the true cost-benefits of selecting a motor.
Motor Selector presents an annualised life cycle cost, and has a visual output that enables you to determine the effect of project risk on your option choices. A 'scenario analyser' allows you to adjust financial parameters such as escalation of energy charges, project life and tax rate, and to measure their effect. The sophisticated financial analysis is presented in a simple, easy-to-understand form.
If motor purchase prices are unknown, Motor Selector has a 'zero capital cost analysis' option that allows you to compare net present operating costs and from these determine if there will be significant savings to justify purchasing a more efficient motor.
Subjective factors
Subjective factors, such as noise, warranty and maintenance, are rarely taken into account when comparing motors. However, they have a major impact on costs, productivity and staff morale. Motor Selector presents subjective features such as warranty, ease of installation, maintenance and noise for easy comparison. It allows you user to add any number of such factors and compare the motors accordingly. Then you decide the weighting and ranking given to each factor. Often these subjective factors lead motor users to consider equipment of higher quality and efficiency than would otherwise be considered.
CO2 emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) or greenhouse gas emissions are an important environmental and a stakeholder/public relations issue for industry. Motor Selector compares the carbon dioxide impact of each motor option. It presents this along with the financial and subjective information that may help companies to fulfil voluntary CO2 reduction agreements.
Using Motor Selector software
Motor Selector has both an expert and a novice mode. It is recommended that first time users begin in the novice mode as it guides you through the selection process and helps you learn the program features. The expert mode clearly lays out the structure of Motor Selector and a control panel enables you to access any feature at the click of a button.
A comprehensive help file can be accessed by pressing F1 or clicking on the on-screen help button at any time. It will provide the information you need to put you on the right track.
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