QM Power Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Price Chopper is one of the largest grocery chains in the Kansas City metro area. Through its contractor, Design Mechanical, Inc., Price Chopper participated in a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored demonstration project to measure energy savings when upgrading from existing shaded pole and electronically commutated motors (ECMs) in refrigeration cases to the Q-Sync® smart, synchronous motor made by QM Power. Process The demonstration involved conducting a detailed energy audit of the refrigeration equipment in the store to analyze current energy usage. The audit was followed by a head-to-head comparison to measure the energy savings after replacing two incumbent shaded pole motors in a produce case with the Q-Sync® motors. Results Oak Ridge National Labs performed the measurement and verification for the program. The findings of the report confirmed Q-Sync® as the highest efficiency motor for commercial refrigeration applications. Outcome The reduction in energy usage from retrofitting the produce case with a Q-Sync® motor was an astounding 78.4%, with an average of 81.9% amps saved. The high potential for energy savings throughout the store prompted Price Chopper to retrofit the entire store as well as several other locations with Q-Sync® motors. Price Chopper also received utility rebates that have helped them reduce retrofit costs and improve their ROI.

Brackett’s Market IGA is a privately-owned grocery store in coastal Bath, Maine – ‘The City of Ships.’ The store is owned by Steve Brackett, who leverages 20 years of grocery experience from Kroger.   Steve met QM Power’s Kellan Draeger and Paul Ravenelle of Automated Building Systems (ABS) Energy Solutions at the Bozzuto’s Independent Retailer Conference, where they discussed rebate opportunities available to grocers like him through Efficiency Maine’s energy efficiency incentive programs. ABS, a seasoned Energy Services team with vast supermarket expertise, agreed to conduct a no-cost audit for Brackett’s.   Vast supermarket expertise Steve’s goals for this project were to keep things fresh, moving, and visible while accruing maximum energy savings. Project: The audit revealed that the store had several opportunities for energy upgrades and improvements. While Brackett’s, like many other grocery stores, had previously upgraded to LED lighting, another huge opportunity for efficiency improvements lay in the next frontier of savings: refrigeration. Energy savings measures included replacing all case, walk-in cooler, and freezer motors with ultra-efficient Q-Sync® motors, adding doors to open multi-deck cases, and incorporating aero-dynamic blades to shelves to direct air back into the cases, preventing cooling loss. Replacing existing 30-year-old electrical-commutated motor (ECM) technology with new Q-Sync® technology is the next biggest improvement stores can make after changing lighting from infrared or UV to LED. Because motors run continuously, the savings accrue in similar fashion. Energy efficiency measures Avoiding just one Refrigeration Contractor visit can save anywhere from $350 to $750 Ron Skilton of ABS says, “We install Q-Sync® motors in grocery stores where we want to help owners boost their profits through energy efficiency measures. A typical upgrade results in efficiencies of 40% or more which pays for the installation in about one year. We install only Q-Sync® motors due to this compelling ROI and ongoing reliability.” Perhaps equally important to the store owner is the IP65 rating. Avoiding just one Refrigeration Contractor visit can save anywhere from $350 to $750 depending on the location. A typical store will experience several such incidents per year. These are unpredictable but very real recurring savings. More peaceful atmosphere Taking into account Steve’s goals for the project, ABS was able to make all of the efficiency upgrades without down-time in the store. Customers were able to stockup on fresh meat, dairy, and produce throughout the experience. And the new store experience was enhanced with a clear view of fresh food items, warmer aisles, and a more peaceful atmosphere due to the quiet Q-Sync® motors. Steve Brackett began tracking his energy savings immediately, sending graphs to the ABS team to illustrate the impact on his ROI. The Q-Sync® motors, in particular, improved the energy bill right away. The upgrades made for a clear winning solution for Brackett’s Market.

QM Power and Purdue University researchers presented findings from the final phase of a two-part study on the impact of QM Power motor technology on the performance of a residential ducted split-system heat pump at the 2022 Herrick Conference. The results indicated a compelling SEER2 increase when incorporating high-efficiency motors in the fans and compressor of the system. low-SEER units The study showed that with QM Power’s Q-Sync® ultra-high-efficiency motors, the fan power consumption could be reduced significantly by retrofitting low-SEER units, with a reduction of power consumption of 34% for the outdoor unit fan motor and 21% for the indoor unit fan motor in the investigated SEER 14 single-speed unit. Part one of this study concluded in February of 2021, involved a numerical analysis of a residential heat pump. The findings indicated a significant system SEER increase of 1 of the SEER 14 single-speed heat pump. actual residential heat pump hardware Both studies used QM Power’s proprietary Q-Sync® VS Variable Speed motors Part two concluded in June of 2022 and included actual residential heat pump hardware. The goal of this phase was to quantify how much the SEER2 rating of a single-speed residential ducted split-system heat pump (rated SEER 14) can be increased by using a more efficient indoor unit blower motor and outdoor unit fan motor. Both studies used QM Power’s proprietary Q-Sync® VS Variable Speed motors. Purdue’s research team included Dr. Eckhard Groll, the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering and Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Davide Ziviani, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director of the Center for High-Performance Buildings, and John Brehm, Master’s Degree Candidate. minimum energy requirements John Brehm defended his master’s thesis with the results of this study. He states, “Upgrading the fan motors is the easiest way of increasing the system efficiency SEER. No major modifications are necessary, which can save a lot of development costs for heat pump manufacturers. A motor upgrade is a desirable option for reaching minimum energy requirements." John Brehm adds, "This could be one of the upgrades to meet new minimum ratings, or it could be the missing piece to reaching the last bit of improved SEER that engineers are trying to achieve.” reduce carbon emissions Rick Hepperla, Q-Sync® General Manager at QM Power, said “These findings formalize what QM Power’s R&D efforts have consistently shown throughout the product development cycle for the most recent line of variable speed motors." He adds, "The team is proud to be a part of a solution for OEMs who are tasked with reaching challenging efficiency goals that will ultimately reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.”