Practices to Improve the Annual Elevator Energy Consumption Estimates and Measurements

Abstract

Elevators form a crucial service of a functioning modern society, and the amount of installed units will continue to rise with increasing urbanization. Consequently, the energy efficiency of elevators has begun to attract more attention. However, elevators are rarely being monitored with energy meters, and the actual energy consumption of these devices is therefore commonly based on estimates. This paper provides useful measurement data from a mid-rise office building and analyzes the gathered readings against two energy efficiency classification schemes: the VDI 4707-1 guideline and the ISO 25745-2 standard. This study presents key points for improving the annual consumption estimates provided by these two commonly applied schemes. Furthermore, this paper identifies challenges in the determination of actual energy consumption based on kWh meter readings. The findings of this paper can be applied at any site to reduce errors in the energy consumption modeling of elevators. The results highlight the significance of correctly interpreting the methods of the classification schemes and knowing the total amount of starts of an elevator or an elevator group. Most importantly, the paper finds the elevator usage and consumption to depend heavily on the installed elevator technology as well as the people flow characteristics of the building.
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