by Brianna Crandall — November 18, 2019 — The Hydraulic Institute (HI) has launched a new feature on the HI Energy Rating (ER) website to calculate the increased power savings from the addition of more efficient components to pumps listed on the Energy Rating Database and issue an Energy Rating Certificate unique to that Extended Pump Product. Each certificate will be listed in the Energy Rating Database, where it can be used by utilities for deemed incentives.
If you are considering replacing or upgrading a pump, look for the HI Energy Rating Label and Certificate, and review pumps listed in the HI Energy Rating database. Image courtesy Hydraulic Institute
A beneficial feature of the HI Energy Rating Program is that it has a provision to capture downstream savings when controls are added by the end user or third party, which the Institute notes is missed in the US Department of Energy (DOE) requirements. This feature is only applicable when a motor and/or control is added to a pump listed in the Energy Rating Database.
Using the standard calculations within the US DOE regulations, the feature allows you to calculate a new Energy Rating after inputting the data for the motor and/or control that is being added to the pump. You will then have the option to generate a unique certificate specific to that pump configuration which can then be used for deemed incentives.
The ER Certificate adds value to the pump marketplace since a significant number of pumps are stocked by distributors without motors or VFDs attached. The ER Certificate allows distributors to capture the additional power savings when adding a high efficiency motor to a bare pump to raise the ER above a utilities constant load baseline. It also allows distributors to add a VFD or VFD and motor to a constant load pump to raise the ER above the utility’s variable load baseline.
The Energy Rating metric is a direct calculation from the regulatory required PEI value and represents the percent power savings over a US DOE minimally compliant pump. As pump efficiency regulations come into effect and more incentive programs for efficient pumps are launched, the HI Energy Rating Label and Certificate have become more valuable than ever.
If you are considering replacing or upgrading a pump, look for the HI Energy Rating Label, and review pumps listed in the HI Energy Rating database. For more information on the HI Energy Rating Certificate, visit the Hydraulic Institute website and view the video on YouTube.
