The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) Board of Directors recognized the Hydraulic Institute (HI) among the winners of the 2020 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards. HI was recognized in the category of Innovation for its efforts to drive the awareness and adoption of energy-efficient pump technologies through its ecosystem of tools and resources designed to enable the adoption of high-performance, reliable and energy-saving pump technologies.

Included in this ecosystem is HI’s Energy Rating Program, which allows users to view and verify data that indicate the power savings obtained from a pump system upgrade. Using the HI Energy Rating Label and Certificate, public utilities can identify products that perform in excess of a representative baseline so that prescriptive incentive programs can be developed. By increasing all new pumps installed in the Northwest in 2020 to an HI ER label rating of 50, Northwest companies and utilities could unlock up to 6.2 TWh over an estimated 11-year pump lifetime. The energy saved is the equivalent to a year’s worth of electricity for more than 490,000 homes, or carbon sequestered by more than 72 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

Developed over the course of several years in close partnership with pump manufacturers, the U.S. Department of Energy, and efficiency groups such as NEEA and ACEEE, the HI Energy Rating Label now covers nearly 10,000 pump models, each one tested to rigorous standards in certified labs. HI’s suite of solutions also includes a collection of utility resources, which can help underpin incentive programs by streamlining the way pump manufacturers and distributors communicate energy efficiency.

“We believe that pump efficiency programs have the potential to become a significant part of every utility’s portfolio,” Michael Michaud, executive director of the Hydraulic Institute said in his ‘thank you’ address during the virtual Leadership Awards ceremony held Dec. 3. “Pumps are everywhere. Nationwide, 25 percent of electricity is used to pump things. Residential, Commercial and Industrial opportunities for pump energy savings are all out there — and the tools and resources are now all in one place.”

NEEA’s Extended Motor Products (XMP) program leverages the HI Energy Rating label in an effort to shift the Northwest sales mix toward higher efficiency pumps and circulators. XMP is a regional market transformation program with seven regional pump distribution companies currently participating. Market shift bonuses and per pump incentives based directly on measured improvement of Energy Rating label scores are core elements of the alliance’s program.

“The Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards recognizes outstanding achievements in creating, utilizing or promoting innovative solutions that help the region achieve greater energy efficiency — and HI’s collection of pump energy-saving resources represents an important new frontier in that mission,” said Warren Fish, program manager, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. “Congratulations to HI, and its team members who have brought these resources to life.”