Municipal Waste Sorting Equipment worked example

Sort Line Conveyor Energy with conveyor train connected motor load of 28 kW: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop conveyor train connected motor load to 28 kW, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate the electricity cost of running a sort line conveyor or full conveyor train and convert it to cost per ton processed.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Conveyor train connected motor load: 28 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 55)
  • Belt runtime per period: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Tons processed during runtime: 120 tons (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total conveyor energy cost = connected motor load x belt runtime x blended electricity rate.
  • Total conveyor energy cost works out to 26.88 $ / ton at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Conveyor energy used works out to 224 kWh at these inputs.
  • Conveyor energy cost per ton works out to 0.22 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly conveyor energy cost works out to 3.36 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where conveyor train connected motor load sits at 55 kW and the headline result is 52.8 $ / ton, this scenario comes in 49.09% below the baseline at 26.88 $ / ton.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to conveyor train connected motor load, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It uses connected (nameplate) load, not metered draw, so it overstates cost for lightly loaded or VFD-modulated belts; meter a sample run to calibrate.

Results at a glance

  • Total conveyor energy cost: 26.88 $ / ton (headline result)
  • Conveyor energy used: 224 kWh
  • Conveyor energy cost per ton: 0.22 $ / piece
  • Hourly conveyor energy cost: 3.36 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.