Plant Utilities worked example

Utility Pump Energy Cost with pump motor demand of 55 kW: a worked example

This scenario runs the utility pump energy cost calculation on the strong side: pump motor demand of 55 kW, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when reviewing utility pump energy cost for a utility budget, maintenance priority, capacity check, energy project, or production support plan.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Pump motor demand: 55 kW (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 22)
  • Pump runtime: 400 hr (unchanged)
  • Electricity rate: 0.1 $ / kWh (unchanged)
  • Gallons moved: 1,800 kgal (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total utility pump energy cost = pump motor demand × pump runtime × electricity rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,200 $ for total utility pump energy cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 22,000 kWh for utility pump energy cost energy used.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1.22 $ / unit for cost per production unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5.5 $ / hr for hourly utility pump energy cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where pump motor demand sits at 22 kW and the headline result is 880 $, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 2,200 $.
  • Use it during energy audits, when sizing a VFD retrofit, or when allocating pumping cost to a specific transfer, cooling loop, or production line. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total utility pump energy cost: 2,200 $ (headline result)
  • Utility Pump Energy Cost energy used: 22,000 kWh
  • Cost per production unit: 1.22 $ / unit
  • Hourly utility pump energy cost: 5.5 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Utility Pump Energy Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.