International Efficiency (IE) Class for Low Voltage AC Motors

In 1998, the European Committee of Manufacturers of Electrical Machines and Power Electronics (CEMEP) developed three classes (i.e. EFF1, EFF2 and EFF3) to describe the energy efficiency of motors. It is a voluntary agreement between the electrical motor manufacturers and the European Commission.However, the agreement expired on
16 June 2011.
CEMEP’s EFF has been adopted in Europe and some other countries around the world. In order to harmonize the standards describing motor energy efficiency, the International Electrotechnical Commission  (IEC) has developed the International Efficiency (IE) classes through collaboration with the National Electrical Manufactures Association (NEMA), CEMEP, the Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association (JEMA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and other international organizations. The IE classes were initially developed in October 2008,namely IEC 60034-30:2008, 2of 13 which has been recently updated in June 2014, namely IEC 60034-30-1:2014, for the purpose of expanding its scopeof classification.

EFF Classification

The EFF has 3 classes, i.e. EFF1, EFF2 and EFF3 respectively. EFF1 is the most energy efficient, while EFF3 is the least energy efficient. In other words, the lower class number represents the higher motor efficiency. The testing method is based on IEC 60034-2-1:1996 – Standard methods for determining losses and efficiency from tests (excluding machines for traction power). The stray load loss, which varies with the load, is assumed at 0.5% ofthe motor’s input power. However, it is lower than the real losses from motors of lower rated power.

IE Classification

The IE Classification is defined by IEC 60034-30-1. The latest version of IEC 60034-30-1 was published in June 2014. The IE classes are shown …

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