Pump energy efficiency field testing and benchmarking in Canada

A large-scale pump performance and efficiency testing program was conducted across the province of Ontario (Canada) involving testing more than 150 water pumps in eight municipal water supply and distribution systems. The program's objectives included raising awareness of the state of pump energy efficiencies and opportunities for energy conservation, as well as the development of a benchmarking report which can be used as a key reference by water utilities in their efforts to improve the energy efficiency of their pumping systems. This is the first program of its kind in Canada and seeks to establish an understanding of the performance and efficiency of water pumps in the field using state-of-the-art thermodynamic technology. The generalized results of this program indicate that the average efficiency of the pumps tested is 9.3% lower efficiency than the manufacturer's original claims at the best efficiency point, while the average gap between the manufacturer's original best efficiency point and actual point of operation in the field was 12.7%.