12/23/2013
Single Speed Pumps vs. Multi Speed Pumps
Recently the government in Florida has tried to make it mandatory that every pump motor that is replaced be replaced with a multi speed motor. The main reason is for energy savings, and it will save you money.
Single speed pumps are rather inefficient. They use the same amount of energy every hour they run. A multi speed pump can be programmed to run at lower speeds. How does this same you energy, and ultimately money?
Single speed pumps run at 3450 RPM’s. A 2HP pump running 8 hours a day, 7 days a week will use about 2200 watts/hour of energy and will run you approximately $90/month on your electric bill. If you use a multi speed motor you can cut the speed in half to 1725 RPM’s, but you will not cut your flow in half. You will get 70% of your full power flow and you will only use about 850 watts. So what this means is if you were to cut your RPM’s in 1/4 you would still get around 49% of your original flow. So you are getting a 2 to 1 energy savings. If I cut your flow down to 700 RPM’s your energy use will be around 100 watts. This is the equivalent of having a lamp turned on with a 100 watt bulb in it. You may be wondering why it’s not just 1/4 of the 2200 watts at full power but that is because the lower pressure causes lower resistance and your pump doesn’t have to use as much energy to move that water.
If you were to run your motor at 700 watts you can run it 24 hours a day and use about the same amount of electric you would use if you ran a single speed motor for 1 hour.
Like anything else that saves you money, it will cost you more money upfront. However, if you can save between $35-50/month on your electric bill, it won’t take long to recoup the costs and start making money! We install all major brands of Multi-speed pumps. Give Bahama Blue Pools a call if you have a question at 941-322-7272!
