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NEMA Premium Motors are recognized as the leading energy-efficient integral motors in North America. Other standards organizations have widely adopted or mirrored the NEMA MG 1 standard that incorporates 60Hz motors. The 50Hz tables added to MG 1 are also expected to be widely accepted.

The NEMA Premium Efficient Electric Motor program was launched in 2001. At the outset of the program, it was estimated that in its first 10 years, the program would save enough electricity to serve as the functional equivalent to equal keeping 16 million cars off the road. The program has exceeded expectations through marketing efforts by the NEMA Motor and Generator Section, and cooperative efforts with Motor Decisions Matter (MDM), a program run by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and others.

Many electric utilities recognize NEMA Premium and offer rebates for specifying and installing NEMA Premium motors. The members of the Motor and Generator Section represent more than 80 percent of U.S. production and sales of electric motors.

NEMA Premium efficient motors exceed the minimum energy-efficiency standards required by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The minimum standards imposed on certain 1-200 horsepower general-purpose integral motors are based on NEMA standards.

When the program was announced in 2001, Dale Basso, the MG 1 Section chairman said, “NEMA motor members have the energy-technology solutions to address utility and industrial user needs. We have elected to broaden the NEMA Premium program to include motors outside the range now regulated by the federal government in order to better serve the customer in a comprehensive manner.” Rob Boteler, chairman of the MG 1 industry promotion committee, also noted, “It is in the best interests of motor users to specify NEMA Premium, thus maximizing efficiency, reducing electrical consumption costs, and improving motor system reliability and performance.”

When asked for comment on the introduction of the 50Hz standard, Boteler said, “NEMA Premium 50Hz was developed to provide motor users on 50Hz grids with the same opportunity to reduce energy consumption and subsequent production costs as motor users in 60Hz areas of the world. We are optimistic that overall greenhouse gases will be further reduced by the use of 50Hz NEMA Premium motors shipped as stand-alone units or as a component of a motor-driven system for use on a 50Hz power supply.

”Boteler will present a paper highlighting the NEMA Premium program at the Energy Efficiency in Motor Driven Systems (EEMODS) ’07 conference in Beijing, China, June 10-13. The EEMODS conference comes at a time when the world in general—and the Chinese in particular—continues to search for energy-efficient products. The NEMA office in Beijing will extend invitations to attend the conference to Chinese officials who show vital interest in energy-efficient motor design and systems. NEMA members are also encouraged to attend. Register for the conference at www.eemods.org. 

The new 50 Hz motor standard is expected to be published early this spring.

For additional information, contact William Hoyt at 703.841.3211 or wil_hoyt@nema.org.

NEMA is the trade association of choice for the electrical manufacturing industry. Founded in 1926 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., its approximately 450 member companies manufacture products used in the generation, transmission and distribution, control, and end-use of electricity. These products are used in utility, medical imaging, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential applications. Domestic production of electrical products sold worldwide exceeds $120 billion. In addition to its headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia, NEMA also has offices in Beijing, São Paulo, and Mexico City.

Press/Public Relations Contacts:
NEMA Communications Department
Email: communications@nema.org
Phone: (703) 841-3286
Fax: (703) 841-3386