Greener Buildings : Why Variable Frequency Drives Are The Optimal First Step

The technology behind variable frequency drives (VFDs) has been around for over forty five years and involved in HVAC for over twenty five years. However, many people remain in the dark as to how much energy and money VFDs save. The truth is VFDs are one of the best ways to make a building greener and save energy. Half the electricity used in a building is a direct result of pumping air and water through the buildings HVAC systems.

Most fans and pumps are oversized or sized for worst-case-conditions which means they are running at over capacity most of the time. By adding a VFD you can control or modulate the speed of the fan or pump to match the required need. The faster you drive your car the more gas your car uses; the slower you drive the better your gas mileage. But because of the affinity law for motors and pumps the savings from using VFDs are huge.

For example, if you reduce the speed of your pump by 10% you use 21% less energy, 20% means a 49% energy reduction, and 30% equals a 66% reduction in energy used.

In addition to energy savings, enhancing a pump or motor with a VFD will almost double its life expectancy. Given that most fans and pumps are expensive, this saving, in and of itself, may justify the cost of adding a VFD.

Improvements in VFD technology over the last several years including ease of set up and installation have made it easy to understand why VFDs result in a quick return on investment and have become the first thing energy experts look at when they want to make a building more green and cost efficient.

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