With the global overall trend towards energy conservation and environmental protection, different countries have different requirements for the energy efficiency of electric motors, but the general direction is towards high efficiency and energy conservation. Below, we have collected the control standards for motor energy efficiency in the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Australia in recent years, and would like to share them with you.
America
In 1992, the US Congress passed the EPACT Act, which set minimum efficiency values for motors and required that all general-purpose motors sold in the United States meet the newly established minimum efficiency standards, namely the EPACT efficiency standards, starting from October 24, 1997. The efficiency standards stipulated by EPACT were the average of the high-efficiency motor efficiency standards produced by major motor manufacturers in the United States at that time. In 2001, the Alliance for Energy Efficiency (CEE) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) jointly developed a super-high-efficiency motor standard, known as the NEMA Premium standard. The starting performance requirements of this standard are consistent with those of EPACT, and its efficiency standards basically reflect the average level of super-high-efficiency motors currently available on the US market, which is 1 to 3 percentage points higher than the EPACT standards, and the losses are reduced by about 20% compared to the EPACT standards. Currently, the NEMA Premium standard is mostly used as a reference standard for subsidies given by power companies to encourage users to purchase super-high-efficiency motors. NEMA Premium motors are recommended for use in situations where the annual operation is over 2,000 hours and the load rate is over 75%. The NEMA Premium program initiated by NEMA is a voluntary industry agreement. NEMA members must sign this agreement and meet the standards before they can use the NEMA Premium logo. Non-member units need to pay a certain fee to use this logo. The determination of motor efficiency under EPACT is based on the motor efficiency test method standard IEEE112-B of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of the United States.
European Union
In the mid-1990s, the European Union began conducting research and policy-making on motor energy conservation. In 1999, the European Commission’s Transport and Energy Department and the European Motor and Power Electronics Manufacturers Association (CE-MEP) reached a voluntary agreement on the motor classification plan (referred to as the EU-CEMEP agreement).
This agreement classified the efficiency levels of motors, namely:
Eff3 – low efficiency (Lowefficiency) motors;
Eff2 – improved (Improvedefficiency) motors;
Eff1 – high efficiency (Highefficiency) motors.
(The classification of motor energy efficiency in our country is similar to that of the EU.)
After 2006, the production and circulation of eff3-level motors were prohibited. The agreement also stipulated that manufacturers should list the efficiency grade identification and efficiency values on the product nameplate and sample data sheet for users to select and identify, which also constituted the earliest energy efficiency parameters of the EU Motor Energy Product Directive. The EU-CEMEP agreement was implemented after voluntary signing by CEMEP member companies and welcomed manufacturers, importers and retailers without membership to participate. Currently, 36 manufacturing companies including Siemens of Germany, ABB of Switzerland, BrookCromton of the UK, Leroy-Somer of France, etc. are participating, covering 80% of the production in Europe. Denmark offers subsidies of 100 or 250 Danish kroner per kW to users who purchase motors with efficiency higher than the minimum standard. The Netherlands provides both purchase subsidies and tax incentives. The UK promotes the market transformation of high-efficiency motors and other energy-saving products through the reduction of climate change taxes and the implementation of the “Increased Investment Subsidy Program”. The government also organizes a market transformation plan by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to actively introduce energy-saving products, provide information on these products, energy-saving solutions and design methods, etc. on the Internet.
Canada
In 1991, the Canadian Standards Association and the Canadian Electrical Manufacturers Association jointly developed a recommended minimum energy efficiency standard for motors. The efficiency indicators of this standard were slightly lower than those of the later US EPACT standards. Due to the significance of the energy issue, the Canadian Parliament also passed the Energy Efficiency Act (EEACT) in 1992, which included the minimum energy efficiency standards for motors. The efficiency indicators of these motors were the same as those of the US EPACT standards, and the standard was stipulated to come into effect officially in 1997. This standard is mandatory as per the law, so high-efficiency motors have been rapidly promoted.
Australian
To save energy and protect the environment, the Australian government has implemented a mandatory energy efficiency standard program or MEPS program for household appliances and industrial equipment since 1999. This program is managed by the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Gas Office in collaboration with the Australian Standards Commission. Australia has included motors in the scope of MEPS. The mandatory standard for motors was approved and came into effect in October 2001, with the standard number being AS/NZS1359.5. Motors produced and imported in Australia and New Zealand must meet or exceed the minimum efficiency indicators stipulated in this standard. This standard can be tested using two methods, thus specifying two sets of indicators: one set is the indicators of Method A, corresponding to the IEEE112-B method in the United States; the other set is the indicators of Method B, corresponding to IEC34-2, whose numerical values are similar to those of the EU’s EU-CEMEP’s Eff2. This standard not only stipulates mandatory minimum standards but also sets high-efficiency motor indicators as recommended standards, encouraging users to adopt them. The numerical values are similar to those of EU’s EU-CEMEP’s Eff1 and the EPACT in the United States.
Post time: Jan-14-2026