Voltage Controller Saves Energy, Prolongs Life of Motors

Tuesday, January 01 2008

Common applications of Power Efficiency’s soft start include mixers, grinders, granulators, conveyors, crushers, stamping presses, injection molders, elevators with MG sets, and escalators. The device has been retrofitted onto equipment at major department store chains, hotels, airports, universities, and for various manufacturers. The technology has been incorporated into products Power Efficiency Corporation makes on a private label basis for other manufacturers. For example, Rockford, Illinois-based, Rapid Granulator, an international manufacturer of granulators for the plastics industry, uses the device under the name Energy Pro.

KONE Inc. markets the voltage controller as the EcoStart. KONE, which has its U.S. headquarters in Moline, Illinois, is one of the world’s largest elevator and escalator manufacturers. KONE was founded in 1910 and has about 29,000 employees in 800 service centers in 40 countries.

Direct customers of Power Efficiency Corporation’s energy-saving soft start include Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Honolulu International Airport, as well as the Toronto and Anchorage airports. In airports, the devices often control escalators and moving walkways. The device can also be found installed at the State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, The George Washington University, in Washington, DC, and in department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Mays.

The company has also partnered with several Las Vegas neighbors, large casinos whose escalators and elevators ferry millions of tourists per year, 24 hours per day. The company is continuing to expand into the hospitality industry in Las Vegas, a city notorious for its power usage.

Power Efficiency Corporation is also looking into developing products that make electric motors more efficient for home appliances like air conditioners, clothes dryers, and refrigerators, three of the largest electricity consumers in most homes.

Energy Pro™ is a trademark of Rapid Granulator.
EcoStart™ is a trademark of KONE Inc.