Climate crisis cannot be ignored any longer. This is how pool industry contributed and I'm so happy to hear it and share it with you so you can understand it better.
Newest department of Energy (DOE) regulations for pool pumps will change the US pool market more so than any other issue in recent memory. These regulations went into effect on July 19, 2021. and all manufacturers domestic and foreign must comply. All pumps made after this date must meet the new DOE energy efficiency criteria.
So, what do we need to know about 12.9 WEF?
Weight Energy Factor, often referred as WEF is the first industry-wide efficiency metric and will make it easier for consumers and pool professionals to evaluate and compare the energy efficiency of pool pumps. Pool pumps often consume the second largest amount of household energy after heating and air conditioning and so have been part of pool efficiency measures for some time. Higher the WEF rating, the more efficient the pump. WEF ratings will be required on labels of all pumps manufactured after July 19, 2021. So, higher WEF will save more energy and more money than a pump with a lower WEF. Currently WEF rating of single speed pump that do not meet the minimum DOE requirements are rated around 2.0 while the highest rated, most efficient pumps per published ENERGY STAR data are currently rated 12.9. There's no doubt manufacturers will strive to improve their WEF efficiency ratings as product technologies and innovations continue to move forward.
So far, DOE recognized only variable-speed pump to meet new criteria as, it can take into account the higher Energy Factor at low speed. In turn a comparable variable-speed pump will have an even higher WEF, assuming it can operate below 50% of maximum flow requirements. Based on today's technology, only a variable speed pump will comply.
Since we figured variable-speed pump is more efficient than single speed pump, what makes one variable-speed pump different from another variable-speed pump.
WEF is the overall efficiency of a pool pump which, in turn, is compromised of the electrical and hydraulic (wet end) system. Most variable-speed pumps in the market are based on existing single-speed motor and drive. Understandably, it is the new motor and drive that gathers attention as they, by changing speed, deliver tremendous energy savings vs. a single speed pump that only runs at 100% all of the time. Often, the biggest difference between individual variable-speed models, however, is the efficiency of the wet end - how well it converts the energy from the motor into moving water.
WEF will be physically labeled on each pump so that users can easily compare its energy efficiency to other models, similar to how new vehicles and air conditioners are marked with their ratings but using a method that is different than has traditionally been used in most pool markets.
I will write more on how professionals can use WEF when selecting a pump for given application, but for now I would like to suggest if you want to come one step closer to greener more energy efficient living and save on energy bill, we sure can help you select the right variable-speed pump to replace your single speed pump. Industry leaders in energy efficiency are Hayward and Pentair and we are always confident recommending them. The cost of replacing your existing single-speed pump with variable-speed pump should return in a year, and we only need one hour to complete the swap. Plese email me for a quote.