Motor $ense
NEMA Premium Standards
Motor $ense
NEMA Premium Standards
NEMA Premium™ efficiency motors should be considered for new motor purchases and when specifying motor-driven equipment. NEMA Premium motors should also be considered when rewinding or repairing failed standard-efficiency or energy efficient motors or as replacements for older lower-efficient motors. Motors which have been rewound, oversized, or under loaded make good candidates for replacement.
In August of 2001, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) implemented a new NEMA Premium Energy Efficiency Motor Standard. Under this voluntary program, a motor may be marketed as a NEMA Premium motor if it meets or exceeds a set of NEMA minimum full-load efficiency levels. These levels are higher than the minimum full-load efficiency standards for energy-efficient motors under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct). These higher levels can be found on the following link:
NEMA Premium motor standards apply to NEMA Design A and B, three-phase low- and medium-voltage induction motors rated from 1-500 horsepower (hp) and designed for service at 5,000 volts or less. Motors with speeds of 1200, 1800, and 3600 revolutions per minute (rpm) with open drip-proof (ODP), explosion-proof, and totally enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC) enclosures are included.
NEMA Premium motors are particularly cost-effective when annual operation exceeds 2,000 hours, where utility rates are high, when motor repair costs are a significant fraction of the price of a replacement motor, or where electric utility motor rebates or other conservation incentives are available.