Economic Analysis of Retrofitting Electric Motors with a Rewinding Process to Partial Loads

Replacement of electric motors “before the standard efficiency” or “standard efficiency” type by brand new ones of superior efficiency is a profitable energy efficiency action, despite its high purchase cost. On the other hand, the rewinding process, from the conventional windings, emerges as a novel energy efficiency action capable of reaching IE3/Premium and IE4/Super-Premium classes with a good cost-benefit relationship. This work presents a strategy for reaching such indices based on the rewinding and a life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) for partial loading of 50%. Such load condition is a fair representation of the low-power motors in the industrial sector. Results show that the rewinding for efficiency improvement is not only a viable and technical option as well as the best cost-benefit solution. Thus, the final analysis let clear that rewinding as an energy efficiency action is more attractive than the motor replacement by a brand new one of superior class.