Conveyors worked example

Conveyor Energy Cost with conveyor connected motor load of 4.75 kW: a worked example

This worked example runs the conveyor energy cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: conveyor connected motor load of 4.75 kW instead of the typical 9.5 kW. Calculate conveyor motor energy cost and cost per unit from connected load, runtime, electricity rate, and units moved.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Conveyor connected motor load: 4.75 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 9.5)
  • Conveyor operating runtime: 4,160 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Units moved by conveyor: 1,850,000 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Conveyor energy cost = connected motor load × runtime × energy rate.
  • Conveyor energy cost works out to 2,272 $ / period at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Conveyor energy used works out to 19,760 kWh at these inputs.
  • Energy cost per unit moved works out to 0 $ / unit at these inputs.
  • Conveyor hourly energy cost works out to 0.55 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where conveyor connected motor load sits at 9.5 kW and the headline result is 4,545 $ / period, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 2,272 $ / period.
  • Use it when sizing an energy budget for a conveyor line, evaluating an idle-stop or VFD project, or allocating conveyance cost across throughput. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Conveyor energy cost: 2,272 $ / period (headline result)
  • Conveyor energy used: 19,760 kWh
  • Energy cost per unit moved: 0 $ / unit
  • Conveyor hourly energy cost: 0.55 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Conveyor Energy Cost calculator, set conveyor connected motor load to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.