What does an energy-efficient 3 HP condenser water pump save in an ice plant?
In the BEE and SAMEEEKSHA report for the Bhimavaram ice-making cluster, an efficient 3 HP condenser water pump saves 11,170 kWh a year, shown as 9 tonnes CO2. Installation needs 2 days of downtime. The old pump ran at 37% system efficiency, the new one at 60%.
The numbers behind the saving
- Old pump: measured 3.50 kW, 24 hours a day, 350 days a year.
- New pump: measured 2.17 kW, same flow of 7 litres a second and 19 metres head.
- Saving: 1.33 kW x 24 x 350 = 11,172 kWh, rounded to 11,170.
- Water power needed is the same, 1.30 kW. Efficiency rises from about 37% to 60%.
Which plants
The report sizes a 3 HP pump for plants making about 12 tonnes of ice a day. Larger plants need 5 HP. The cluster has about 80 ice units, and most condenser water pumps were old with re-wound motors.
Why the pump matters
The condenser pump runs without a break to cool the ammonia in the condenser. Energy is 48 to 54% of the cost of ice in the cluster, so a pump that runs 8,400 hours a year adds up.
Worked CO2 from the report's numbers
- Saving: 11,170 kWh a year.
- The report shows 9 t CO2, about 0.81 t per MWh.
- At the FY 2025-26 grid factor of 0.675 kg per kWh: 11,170 x 0.675 = 7,540 kg, or 7.5 t.
The report dates from 2010.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads electricity bills for ice plants into a monthly kWh record, so the effect of a pump or compressor change shows in the same bills.
Last reviewed 2026-11-03.