What does a new paddy separator save a Ganjam rice mill, by size?

In Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) reports for Ganjam, a new compartment paddy separator saves 4,819 kilowatt hours a year at 1 tonne an hour, 4,673 at 1.5 and 6,129 at 2, paying back in about 3 years on Rs 0.60 to 0.80 lakh. At 1.5 tonnes an hour the draw falls from 2.2 to 1.49 kilowatts.

What the separator does

After the huller, the separator splits unshelled paddy (normally under 10% of the flow) from brown rice using differences in weight, buoyancy and size. A compartment separator for a 1.5 tonne an hour mill has 45 compartments, 15 on each of three decks. The report says cluster separators draw about 50% more power than new ones.

The three sizes

• 1 tonne an hour: old 3.5 kilowatts (kW), new 1.49. Saving 2.01 kW over 12 hours for 200 days: 4,819 kilowatt hours (kWh). Rs 0.20 lakh a year on Rs 0.60 lakh, payback 3.00 years.
• 1.5 tonnes an hour: old 2.2 kW, new 1.49. Saving 0.71 kW over 22 hours for 300 days: 4,673 kWh. Rs 0.20 lakh on Rs 0.60 lakh, 3 years.
• 2 tonnes an hour: old 3.6 kW, new 2.2. Saving 1.4 kW over 15 hours for 300 days: 1.4 x 15 x 300 = 6,300 kWh, against the report's 6,129. Rs 0.26 lakh on Rs 0.80 lakh, 3.08 years.
• The three sizes are not like for like: the old draw is 3.5 kW at 1 tonne an hour but 2.2 kW at 1.5 tonnes an hour, so the savings do not scale with capacity.

Cost and what to check

All three use Rs 4.20 a kWh. The report assumes the old separator resells for Rs 0.35 lakh and takes a Rs 0.10 lakh discount on the new one. The hours differ a lot, 12 to 22 a day, so use your own running hours: the saving is the kW difference times those hours.

1.5 tonnes an hour, in kilowatt hours and carbon dioxide (estimate)

• 0.71 kW x 22 hours x 300 days = 4,686 kWh (the report states 4,673)
• 4,673 x Rs 4.20 = Rs 19,627, the report's Rs 0.20 lakh
• Cost over saving: 0.60 / 0.20 = 3 years
• Carbon dioxide: 4,673 x 0.675 = 3.2 tonnes a year; the report says 4 tonnes

Report figures from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Ganjam rice mill project reports. carbon dioxide (CO2) uses the Central Electricity Authority financial year 2025-26 grid factor, an estimate.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads electricity bills into monthly kilowatt hours (kWh) and carbon dioxide emissions, so a new separator shows as a drop against the same months before it. A single machine is not metered on its own bill. The green loan check shows what a lender asks for.

• Green loan readiness check
• Ganjam rice mills: electricity saving
• Improved paddy cleaner in a rice mill
• Voltage stabiliser in a rice mill

Sources: BEE, Detailed project report: paddy separator 1 TPH, Ganjam rice mill cluster (SAMEEEKSHA), BEE, Detailed project report: paddy separator 1.5 TPH, Ganjam rice mill cluster (SAMEEEKSHA), BEE, Detailed project report: paddy separator 2 TPH, Ganjam rice mill cluster (SAMEEEKSHA), CEA, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector

Last reviewed 2026-11-04. Report figures are from a Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) programme project report; costs and paybacks are at the report year's prices. Check today's prices and a current quote before you rely on the payback.