How do you calculate elevator drive energy cost?

Multiply connected load in kW by runtime in hours by the energy rate. With 18 kW running 220 hours at $0.16/kWh, that is 18 x 220 x 0.16 = $633.60, drawing 3,960 kWh over the period.

What is energy cost per trip for an elevator?

Divide total energy cost by the number of trips or starts. In the example $633.60 across 8,500 trips is about $0.0745 per trip — small individually, but it adds up fast across a high-traffic bank.

How much energy does an elevator drive use?

It depends on connected load and runtime. Here an 18 kW drive running 220 hours uses 3,960 kWh. Geared and older machines draw more per trip than modern gearless permanent-magnet drives, which is the core of most retrofit cases.

Should I use connected load or metered kWh?

Connected load times runtime is a good planning estimate, but elevator drives draw in acceleration bursts and can regenerate energy back on overhauling loads. For a billing-accurate figure, use a metered kWh reading; for benchmarking and retrofit screening, this calculator's estimate is fine.

What is the cost per runtime hour mean for?

It is total energy cost divided by runtime — $2.88/hr here. It is a quick way to compare two drives on a same-traffic basis without needing trip counts, useful when you only know hours of operation.

How do regenerative drives change these numbers?

Regenerative drives recover energy when the car overhauls the counterweight and feed it back, effectively lowering the blended connected load. Re-run the calculator with the reduced effective load to estimate the savings against the baseline cost per trip.

Elevators, Escalators & Vertical Transport Equipment calculator

Elevator Drive Energy Cost Calculator

Elevator drive energy cost converts a hoist machine's connected load and runtime into the dollars it burns over a period and the energy cost attributable to each trip or start. Facility energy managers, building operators, and modernization estimators use it to benchmark a drive's running cost and to justify regenerative drives or higher-efficiency machines on busy traffic. It matters because a high-rise elevator bank can be one of the larger plug loads in a building, and the per-trip number is what makes an energy retrofit case concrete. This calculator gives you total drive energy cost, the kWh consumed, and the cost spread across the trips that drove it.

What this calculator does

Estimate elevator or escalator drive energy cost from connected load, runtime, energy rate, and units handled.
a building engineer or estimator needs a quick drive energy cost per elevator, escalator, or service period
It computes total drive energy cost as connected load times runtime times energy rate, then divides by trips or starts to give energy cost per represented unit.

Formula used

Total drive energy cost = drive connected load × drive runtime × blended energy rate
Drive energy cost per represented unit = total drive energy cost ÷ trips, starts, or units represented

Inputs explained

Drive connected load:
Drive runtime:
Blended energy rate:
Trips, starts, or units represented:

How to use the result

Use it to benchmark an elevator drive's running energy, model a regenerative-drive payback, or allocate energy cost across measured trips.
It uses average connected load over runtime; real elevator drives draw in bursts during acceleration and regenerate on overhauling loads, so a metered kWh reading is more accurate than nameplate connected load for a precise bill.

Current U.S. benchmarks

As of Apr 2026, industrial electricity averages 8.7 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA), up 5.5% from a year earlier. State averages range widely, so plants should confirm against their own tariff.
On-highway diesel averages $4.58 per gallon this week (EIA), trending down over recent periods. Truck tonnage is up 3.4% year over year (ATA via FRED).
U.S. housing starts run at 1,177k per year (Census, May 2026), down 8.7% from a year earlier, the demand driver for building products.
Steel mill PPI stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 2.3% year over year (Census).

Common questions

How do you calculate elevator drive energy cost? Multiply connected load in kW by runtime in hours by the energy rate. With 18 kW running 220 hours at $0.16/kWh, that is 18 x 220 x 0.16 = $633.60, drawing 3,960 kWh over the period.
What is energy cost per trip for an elevator? Divide total energy cost by the number of trips or starts. In the example $633.60 across 8,500 trips is about $0.0745 per trip — small individually, but it adds up fast across a high-traffic bank.
How much energy does an elevator drive use? It depends on connected load and runtime. Here an 18 kW drive running 220 hours uses 3,960 kWh. Geared and older machines draw more per trip than modern gearless permanent-magnet drives, which is the core of most retrofit cases.
Should I use connected load or metered kWh? Connected load times runtime is a good planning estimate, but elevator drives draw in acceleration bursts and can regenerate energy back on overhauling loads. For a billing-accurate figure, use a metered kWh reading; for benchmarking and retrofit screening, this calculator's estimate is fine.
What is the cost per runtime hour mean for? It is total energy cost divided by runtime — $2.88/hr here. It is a quick way to compare two drives on a same-traffic basis without needing trip counts, useful when you only know hours of operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.