The Energy Conservation Center has given its 2002 Energy Conservation Award to Econo-Pilot, an easy to install system that reduces the amount of energy consumed by water pumps used in building air conditioning systems and other types of facilities. Econo-Pilot employs a new control mechanism that was developed by three enterprises-Yokogawa Electric Corporation; Asahi Kogyosha Co, Ltd.; and The First Energy Service Co., Ltd.-and commercialized by Yokogawa after the development and demonstration phases, through joint research with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).  This innovative controller cuts power consumption by 60% to 90%.

The Econo-Pilot system provides the following features:

(1) Higher energy efficiency
Year-round, the system stably reduces power consumption to levels that are close to theoretical values.

(2) Utilization of existing facilities
Installation can be as simple as adding a small controller*1  (if inverters, flow meters and pressure gauges have already been installed).

(3) Quick and easy installation and adjustment
Installation and adjustment can be done in just half a day, minimizing the amount of time that a plant must be shut down.

(4) Real-time indication of reduction in power consumption
The system has an operation control window that displays the power reduction amount in real-time.

(5) IT-based remote monitoring and adjustment
The system comes with a standard remote monitoring function so users can perform adjustments without having to visit the site.

*1: STARDOM autonomous controller FCJ

The Econo-Pilot system has been installed at Headquarters and at the Kofu Plant, and has improved energy efficiency significantly.