New National "Power Index" Helps Standardize Industrial Energy Savings

Pumps

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently published NEMA MG 10011-2022. This standard introduces the Power Index (PI) for Power Drive Systems (PDS), which can help reduce carbon emissions, enable Smart Manufacturing technologies, and improve system energy savings. The PI metric allows PDS and drives to be compared for optimal energy savings for end-users and provides an easy-to-use metric similar to a car “city/highway” miles-per-gallon rating.

NEMA and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) worked together to develop the Power Index (PI) rating system, providing a streamlined method to evaluate the reduction in power, and associated energy savings, by controlling equipment speed with a PDS.


This metric will be an important tool for utilities and regulators, who can utilize PI in their incentives programs to encourage the selection of motors and controls that will result in significant energy savings.

- Nicole Dunbar
Codes and Standards Engineer at NEEA

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