Elevators have a fair share to play in the green-building
concept. Besides the fact that they consume about 2-10% of the total energy
used in a building which certainly needs to be lowered down, the concept is also
applicable on the material with which elevators are built and the technology
and processes involved.
Let us understand how they create an impact and contribute
to a sustainable environment.
MRL Technology
Invent of Machine-room-less technology led to a sharp
decline in energy consumption (up to 80%), cost of setting up an elevator and
regular maintenance overheads. In 1990s miniaturization took over and replaced
the bulky and expensive machine rooms on top of the buildings with a small MRL
machinery right within the elevator shaft. It was time for the cumbersome oil
filled hydraulic cylinders used in hydraulic lifts to fade as gearless traction
design came into being.
Regenerative Drives
These drives led to a halt in the loss of energy used up by
elevators through dissipation of heat. Instead, it recovered the energy and
transferred it back to the electrical system of the building to be consumed for
lighting and other needs.
Smart Control
Modern elevators ensure that the numbers of light load trips
are kept at its minimum while also keeping in view the fact that the waiting
time of passengers should not exceed beyond a certain time period. These lifts
also control lighting systems effectively while not in use and factor in other
energy burning elements.
