“Blue Modus” – Conserving energy

Elevator owners and operators can also contribute to protecting the environment.

Energy efficiency is right up at the top of the agenda in the UN Climate Report for 2007 and the Kyoto Protocol and, in addition, has long since been a topic in elevator engineering. Elevators use about 5% of all the energy consumed in an office building, for instance, and thus have moved into a position of prominence when considering energy-saving potentials.

Several EU regulations deal with the topic of energy and cover the equipment used in buildings – such as heating and illumination systems, thermal insulation, etc. (Energy Performance of Buildings EPB, EC Directive 2002/91/EC). The socalled eco-design directive (EuP – Energy-Using Products, EC Directive 2005/32 EC) also views motors in light of their energy consumption. Even though energy savings in elevators are not mentioned explicitly at present, it is worthwhile to direct attention to this subject even today and to select energy-conserving systems and assemblies when building new elevators. Many European standards committees are currently drafting rules for technical systems with the goal of reducing energy consumption and pollution during all the phases of product life: manufacture, operation and disposal. Relevant to the elevator, for instance, would be the VDI 4707 guideline, currently in the draft stage. It will define energy efficiency classifications (and specify the corresponding identification labels) for elevators, following the scheme already being used for refrigerators and washing machines.

A study in Switzerland arrived at interesting results, based upon measurements taken at 30 elevators built according to any of a variety of technical concepts. It was found that modern elevators show a relative decline in power consumption during actual travel but, at the same time, a great increase in stand-by consumption. There are sure to be interesting approaches for cutting energy use here.

It seems certain that in the future an “energy certificate” based on connected load or actual consumption will play an ever greater role in deciding on which equipment to install in any given building. This will be true for both new buildings and modernization projects.

The elevator industry is already well equipped to meet these challenges and offers a variety of measures and products intended to boost energy efficiency. Power consumption can, for instance, be optimized by selecting suitable components (such as LEDs for stand-by illumination in the car) and by regulating certain functions (and thus minimizing stand-by consumption).

“Blue Modus” for the elevator industry

Böhnke + Partner GmbH Steuerungssysteme is located in the town of Bergisch Gladbach and thus in the center of Germany and at the heart of Europe. The firm develops, engineers and manufactures components, controls and remote diagnosis systems and software (WinMOS^®300, CANwizard^®) for the elevator industry.

Products are designed in close alignment with the market and are strictly oriented on customer needs. Users profit greatly from the experience gathered in numerous projects where these control systems and components have been employed.

Highly-qualified developers and experienced engineers work in close cooperation with the production departments and guarantee fully mature products that can be used successfully and reliably in every field of conveyance technology.

Service – both before and after the sale – helps to cement customer relationships based on confidence and thus has been assigned maximum priority. The company is aware of its responsibility to its customers and is always interested in new technological developments.

Böhnke + Partner recognizes the necessity to save energy in every area of building technology and thus in elevator engineering, too. From the planning phase onward, a worthwhile contribution can be made to energy conservation with suitable concepts and novel engineering and software. Various functions and components have been grouped together under the “Blue Modus” logo. Some of them have been a part of the Böhnke + Partner product line for many years now. In an era when dealing with natural resources responsibly has attained greater relevance, we want to give our customers a simple means with which to quickly identify resource-conserving products. The “Blue Modus” functions ensure efficiency in the use of controls and components and bring about a significant reduction of energy consumption – in the stand-by mode, for instance. In this way “Blue Modus” enables a valuable contribution to energy savings and environment protection.

This begins with measures as simple as switching off the car lights when they are not needed, continues through automatic, step-by-step shutdown of using units not required in the stand-by mode, and culminates in complex control algorithms for energy-efficient use of large banks of elevators. Many of the “Blue Modus” functions have arisen from the consistent refinement of the software for the elevator components, always paying close attention to energy conservation. The savings can thus be achieved without additional hardware. And user comfort and convenience are by no means impacted adversely.

The objectives of the Eco-Design Directive soon to be adopted by the European Union are already being taken into account in many of the business decisions made by Böhnke + Partner. “Blue Modus” is the logical outcome of environmentfriendly product policies. That started, many years ago, when we decided to take back electronic components, at no cost to the customer, and properly dispose of them. It continued – long before it became mandatory – with the introduction of manufacturing processes in line with the RoHS Directive (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment). Energy consumption over the entire life of the product was further optimized by introducing new manufacturing processes, machinery and end products. This demonstrates that the goals of the Energy-Using Products Directive are always among the decisive aspects in the research and engineering work done at Böhnke + Partner.

“Blue Modus” is our very special offer to elevator owners and operators, helping them make a contribution to reaching the goals of the European Climate Protection Program.