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HOME LIFTS I 26 FEBRUARY 2021
Environmental issues are often at the top of the agenda in modern building projects, and it’s no different for us when designing and installing residential lifts. To meet with the growing demand for sustainability, many homeowners are opting for energy efficient lifts. By having an eco lift, you can dramatically reduce your energy consumption and in turn, your running costs.
If you are thinking of having a lift installed in your home or simply want to upgrade an existing lift, consider these energy-saving features which can be incorporated into your design.
Replacing a lift’s lights with an efficient alternative like LED lighting is a quick and easy way to reduce its energy consumption. LED spot lights use up to 85% less electricity than halogen lights and can also last up to 10 times longer. If you already have a lift installed in your home, replacing inefficient lighting is one of the more simple upgrades you can make. If you are yet to install your lift, using LED lights from the get-go will help to save significant amounts of energy in the long-term.
Some lift models use a significant amount of electricity even when it isn’t in use. Whether it be the lighting, fans, control panel or processor, the lift is still active. However, with our lifts there is the option to incorporate a sleep mode. This will allow you to set certain time periods for the lift to hibernate, minimising the lift’s energy consumption and reducing your electricity bill in the process. With our Premier Home Lift we can also even link the sleep mode to smart devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
Biodegradable oils are eco-friendly fuels designed to minimise environmental impact. These oils are usually made from vegetables or other plant life with naturally occurring compounds. Bacteria are able to break down these natural compounds, whereas synthetic fuels like petroleum kill bacteria, preventing them from being broken down after use.
What’s more, biodegradable oils perform brilliantly in systems demanding high performance hydraulic fluid, such as lifts.
You might be wondering whether the process of replacing the fuels is a hassle for engineers. Converting from vegetable oil based fluid from petroleum presents no complications as they are compatible fluids. Although it’s advised to drain as much of the synthetic oil from the system as possible before adding the vegetable alternative, it is not essential.
A regenerative drive allows energy from the lift to be recycled. When the lift car moves down, the load causes the motor to turn faster than synchronous speed, causing the motor to act like a generator that produces an electrical current. By installing a regenerative drive you can recover and redirect this energy back into the system.
Normal elevator systems use a braking resistor to deaden the extra energy, whereas regenerative drives recycle this extra energy by capturing the heat. The excess energy is converted into electricity which is capable of powering the lift next time it goes up. Since energy is being reused, energy consumption is lower compared to conventional designs.
Eco-lifts help to save energy, time and money in the long term. If you’d like more information, you can download our brochure. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us if you have any more questions: it would be our pleasure to give you any extra guidance.
