# Electric motors and drives and Water and sanitation Water and sewage services are mostly a matter of moving water uphill and through pipes, so motor-driven pumps and blowers use most of a utility's electricity, and efficient motors and drives are the main lever on its energy bill. Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/links/electric-motors-and-drives-and-water-and-sanitation/ [Electric motors and drives](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_motors/) (energy) and [Water and sanitation](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/) (industry): 4 relationships. ## How they are linked ### 1. Pumps and blowers *Physical flow · Strong · Electric motors and drives → water and sanitation* Raw-water lifts, treatment, distribution and sewage collection all rely on motor-driven pumps, and sewage treatment relies on motor-driven aeration blowers; the site rates motors 5 of 5 for bulk water authorities and water utilities. - **70 to 80%** share of water and wastewater utility electricity used by pumps and pumping systems - **4** enterprise types in water and sanitation that depend on motors - **5 of 5** criticality for bulk water authorities and water utilities In water treatment, pumping takes around 80 to 85% of the energy used. Sewage plant operators rate motors 4 of 5, as aeration blowers dominate their power use, and pump, valve and meter makers depend on motor drives for their products. Enterprise types that depend on it: - Bulk raw-water and reservoir authorities: pumping for lifts and transfers (criticality 5 of 5) - Water utilities (municipal boards and private operators): pumping is the main energy use (criticality 5 of 5) - Sewerage and sewage-treatment plant operators: aeration blowers dominate energy use (criticality 4 of 5) - Pump, valve and meter makers: pump drives (criticality 3 of 5) Sources: [Material Insights](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/materials/); [World Bank Water Blog](https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/water/how-energy-efficient-utilities-future-save-money-and-help-planet); [ABB](https://library.e.abb.com/public/3a53fd503dc64f0ab0bd932665f23620/ABB_EE_WhitePaper_Water_and_wastewater.pdf) ### 2. Power bill of water services *Physical flow · Strong · Motor load → water sector electricity demand and costs* Because pumps and blowers run for long hours, electricity becomes one of a utility's largest costs, which links water tariffs and utility finances to power prices. - **4%** water sector share of global electricity use (IEA, 2018) - **about 45%** energy share of the cost of water production, on average - **more than 60%** share of a wastewater plant's energy taken by aeration and wastewater pumping Wastewater collection and treatment uses about a quarter of the sector's electricity, and the IEA expects wastewater electricity use in 2040 to be over 60% higher than in 2014 as treatment spreads. Wider sewage coverage, as India is pursuing, therefore adds motor load. Sources: [ABB](https://library.e.abb.com/public/3a53fd503dc64f0ab0bd932665f23620/ABB_EE_WhitePaper_Water_and_wastewater.pdf); [IEA](https://www.iea.org/commentaries/the-energy-sector-should-care-about-wastewater); [IEA](https://vipo.iea.org/newsroom/energysnapshots/electricity-consumption-in-the-water-sector-by-process.html) ### 3. Efficient pumps and drives *Transition · Medium · Efficient motors and variable speed drives → lower water sector power use* Many pumps are oversized, old or run at fixed speed against throttled valves, so efficient motors and variable speed drives cut power use without changing the water delivered. - **20 to 40%** typical electricity savings available to water and wastewater utilities - **25 to 30%** savings from variable speed drives with high-efficiency motors Savings pay back from the power bill, which makes pump retrofits suitable for energy service contracts. Results depend on fixing the whole pumping system, including leaks and pipe losses, not only the motor. Sources: [World Bank Water Blog](https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/water/how-energy-efficient-utilities-future-save-money-and-help-planet); [ABB](https://library.e.abb.com/public/3a53fd503dc64f0ab0bd932665f23620/ABB_EE_WhitePaper_Water_and_wastewater.pdf) ### 4. India's municipal pump programme *Policy · High in India · Indian efficiency policy → pump replacement in water works* Under India's Municipal Energy Efficiency Programme, part of AMRUT, EESL replaces inefficient pumps in public water works and sewerage systems at no upfront cost to municipal bodies and recovers the cost from energy savings. - **500** cities in the programme with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs - **about 20%** energy in pumping systems that can be saved, India Uptake of efficient pumps in India had not picked up pace by 2022. Pumping takes about 40% of industrial electricity in India, so pump standards matter well beyond water utilities. Sources: [IEA Policies database](https://www.iea.org/policies/7457-municipal-energy-efficient-programme-meep); [Indian Infrastructure](https://indianinfrastructure.com/2022/01/03/optimising-performance-2/) ## For investors ### Key learnings 1. Pumps and pumping systems use 70 to 80% of a water utility's electricity, so motor and drive makers gain from every expansion of water and sewage networks. 2. Energy is about 45% of the cost of water production, which makes efficiency retrofits paying back from savings a steady market. 3. Variable speed drives with efficient motors save about 25 to 30%, so drives are a main part of the retrofit market, not only the pumps. ### What to track - **Water and sewerage capex by urban bodies**: Demand for pumps, motors and blowers (Yearly · AMRUT and Jal Jeevan Mission dashboards) - **Industrial electricity tariffs for water utilities**: Size of the payback on efficient pumps (Yearly · state regulatory commission tariff orders) - **Pump and motor order books**: Uptake of efficient equipment (Quarterly · listed pump and motor makers' results) ## For policymakers ### Key learnings 1. Water supply and sewage expansion adds electricity demand, as pumping and aeration take most of a utility's power. 2. Paying for pump replacement from savings, as EESL does, removes the upfront cost barrier for cash-poor municipal bodies. 3. Efficiency standards for pumps and motors reach both water utilities and industry, where pumping is about 40% of electricity in India. ### What to track - **Electricity use per million litres supplied or treated**: Energy efficiency of water services (Yearly · utility service-level benchmarks, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs) - **Pumps replaced under municipal efficiency programmes**: Progress of retrofits (Yearly · EESL reports) ## India In India EESL replaces inefficient municipal water and sewerage pumps at no upfront cost under AMRUT, and pumping systems use about 40% of industrial electricity, so pump efficiency is a national energy issue. ## Sources 1. [Water and sanitation: materials](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/materials/), Material Insights (2026) 2. [How energy efficient utilities of the future can save money and help the planet](https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/water/how-energy-efficient-utilities-future-save-money-and-help-planet), World Bank Water Blog 3. [Energy efficiency in water and wastewater (white paper)](https://library.e.abb.com/public/3a53fd503dc64f0ab0bd932665f23620/ABB_EE_WhitePaper_Water_and_wastewater.pdf), ABB 4. [The energy sector should care about wastewater](https://www.iea.org/commentaries/the-energy-sector-should-care-about-wastewater), IEA (2018) 5. [Energy snapshots: electricity consumption in the water sector by process](https://vipo.iea.org/newsroom/energysnapshots/electricity-consumption-in-the-water-sector-by-process.html), IEA (2017) 6. [Municipal Energy Efficient Programme (MEEP)](https://www.iea.org/policies/7457-municipal-energy-efficient-programme-meep), IEA Policies database 7. [Optimising performance: initiatives to improve the cost economics and energy efficiency of pumps](https://indianinfrastructure.com/2022/01/03/optimising-performance-2/), Indian Infrastructure (2022)