With the environment becoming a top priority for companies across the globe, the question of how to improve energy efficiency has been on everyone’s mind. From traditional habits like turning off a light when you leave an office to larger changes like solar paneling, we all want to lower our carbon footprint.

When looking at methods to push your building in a “greener” direction, a great place to start is in your elevators. It’s always a good time to look into modernizing one or more parts of your elevator to reap the benefits of saving energy (more about our elevator modernization services).

Regenerative Drive

Beginning with the regenerative drive is key because this component’s core function is to save your energy. As it relates to elevators, a drive controls the speed, torque and overall movement of the cab. Elevators are used for hundreds of trips each day, and this drive works overtime to lift and lower the cab. The regenerative drive was created to lower the amount of energy needed to perform this job day in and day out.

This electric regenerative drive, also known as the Green Drive, saves considerable energy by using advanced braking technology to recapture the energy that would normally be lost as heat. The method essentially takes the elevator’s excess energy and feeds it back into the building’s power grid. Not only will it save you money on your monthly electricity bills, but you will be creating a more sustainable environment for the future.

Green Lighting

While it’s not as simple as flicking a light switch when you leave the cab, installing LED lights can help lower your energy usage. Though it varies by manufacturer, incandescent lighting is common in several elevator systems. While these lights may seem fine, they require a lot of energy and have a shorter lifespan than LEDs.

Upgrading your elevator lights is a fantastic investment that can save you up to 45% of the energy used by incandescent bulbs. They’re also much easier and cheaper to replace. Add in the fact that they are more aesthetically pleasing, and it’s a wonder if there are any cons to updating your lighting!

Switching to Gearless

If you have an elevator with a geared machine, you’re going to want to hear us out on this one. Switching to a gearless machine will not only improve energy efficiency for your building, it will also save you a headache.

Geared machines on average are much bulkier than their gearless counterparts. Therefore, you will use much less energy when you switch to gearless as it streamlines the work being done.

Modernizing your geared machine is a no-brainer, and it’s also recommended by elevator technicians and experts worldwide. They have much simpler maintenance and can be half the size of a geared machine. Overall, the cost savings you’ll see in reduced energy alone will be reason enough to contact your local branch about modernization.

Each one of these modernizations will benefit your building and help create a more eco-friendly environment. At TK Elevator, we know the change starts with us and are thrilled to supply you with sustainable modernization options. If you are unsure if it’s time to modernize your elevators already check out our blog post on: Five Warning Signs Your Elevators Need to be Updated.