Repair Appliances with Energy Efficient Motors: Energy Products Articles: Eco20/20

Repair Appliances with Energy Efficient Motors

An energy-efficient motor is simply one that does the same work as a standard motor but consumes less electricity to do it. Energy-efficient motors are just as reliable as standard motors and require the same maintenance. In some cases they have a longer life, but the primary factor to consider is the savings in energy costs versus repair costs.

Repair Versus Replacement

It's always tempting to buy something shiny and new. But condemning repairable appliances to the dump is often a significant waste of both money and resources. When you repair an appliance with efficiency parts, you'll often end up with a far superior appliance at only a slice of the cost of a newer appliance.

* Many people make the mistake of assuming a battered appliance doesn't warrant the cost of quality replacement parts. But any horsepower enthusiast will tell you -usually while easing a gleaming new motor into an old Chevy shell - it's not the skin that does the work; it's the motor.

* The cost of a high-efficiency replacement motor averages 15 to 30 percent over the cost of a standard appliance motor, but in every year of its operation a motor might easily consume more than its initial purchase price in electricity, so regardless of how much you spend to replace an appliance motor, you need to remember you are also committing to the continuous purchase of electricity; and it's important to take a minute to determine if the power savings might justify a slightly higher repair expense.

* Water pumps, AC fans, refrigeration compressors, evaporators, condensers, or anything that runs continuously, will see notable savings from efficiency motors.

* Someone buying motors for a factory or warehouse will have more options for altering the mechanisms they are looking to repair, because industrial motors are usually designed to be frequently replaced or upgraded, and the mounts are usually placed where alteration is not likely to cause an issue. The industrial sector is a huge consumer of electrical energy, and since most of the electricity consumed by warehouses and factories is used to run motors, industries are often aware even a 5 or 6 percent increase in efficiency can account for a 25 percent energy savings; which means significantly lower production costs.

o This also means factories design their equipment to be repaired because they know how cost effective it is to repair instead of replace it. A savvy homeowner should take that example to heart.

Safety Concerns

* For household appliances, unless you understand all the factors involved in altering an appliance, you'll need to ask a qualified parts dealer for energy efficient options that are known to fit the pre-existing motor-mounts. It can be extremely dangerous to drill new holes if you don't know precisely what is inside a shell you're drilling. But a resourceful and knowledgeable appliance repairman can reap the rewards of unspecified industrial efficiency motors, by fabricating motor mounts that will allow him to repair an appliance with better than new parts, sometimes even at a savings over an original equipment replacement.

If, after consideration, you decide not to repair your broken appliance, check with local repair shops and charities to see if they want it. There are still shops that will take a broken appliance, put it right, and sell it to recover their labor costs; or accept it for other parts that can be salvaged.