improve ventilation
Variable frequency drives (VFD)
air quality, ventilation, & energy savings
air quality, ventilation, & energy savings
VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES
Variable frequency drives (VFD) are electrical devices attached to fans to adjust the rotations per minute (RPM) to modify the system airflow. They increase and decrease the fan speed to predetermined set points to improve ventilation. The controls respond to open and closed zones to fulfill heating and cooling requirements. VFDs can also attach to pumps and compressors.
ACTS Electrical understands that using VFDs with HVAC systems improves indoor air quality, ventilation, and energy savings. They also reduce maintenance requirements by easing the stress and mechanical and electrical parts. Less stress means less equipment failures and an extended life cycle of the machine. As technology advances, the price of VFDs continues to decrease, and the benefits are expanding.
Building automation systems (BAS) are vital for HVAC systems in commercial buildings. BAS centralizes automatic control of the building’s systems for energy efficiency and reduces maintenance. VFDs integrated with BAS allow the BAS to manage set points based on the requirements of each zone. Using trim and respond methods, the VFDs change the system’s airflow to predetermined set points in response to heating and cooling needs. As technology in BAS integration and VFD develops, ACTS Electric continues to upgrade and integrate systems for the best savings and performance possible.
The most significant benefit of VFDs is energy savings. A quarter of the electrical energy used worldwide is consumed by industrial application motors. Using VFDs in industrial machinery can reduce this power usage drastically. In buildings, VFDs balance the system capacity to the heating and cooling needs of the zones and allow the electric motor to run at less than full speed when possible. Energy consumption can reduce by 60% simply by reducing the motor speed by 25%. Decreasing the motor by 50% can generate 90% less energy consumption. HVAC systems use the majority of energy in commercial buildings. Installing VFDs with ACTS Electric can result in significant energy savings.
