Operational energy-efficiency improvement of municipal water pumping in California

► Use of VSDs (variable-speed drives) at pump sites may improve efficiency and lessen energy and demand costs. ► A normalization/regression approach enables accurate assessment of VSD performance. ► Variability of efficacy suggests targeted implementation of the OEEP (operational energy-efficiency program). ► Adding a VSD-PLC (Variable-speed drive - Programmable-logic-controller) to an optimally-sized pump can harm overall energy efficiency.