What's The Real Cost of Higher/Efficiency?

THE PROBLEMS THAT CALIFORNIA had with electrical energy last year have only emphasized the need to look at the true cost of high-efficiency energy devices used by cement plants since electrical energy is among the top expenses in producing cement. This article focuses on low-voltage induction motors and lighting systems. Low-voltage induction motors generally account for about 30% of the electrical energy consumed by a cement plant. Lighting systems generally account for about 3–5% of the electrical energy consumed by a cement plant, but it is a fixed load that does not directly contribute to production. Life-cycle cost analysis is used to determine the true costs of this equipment.