Chuck Yung 
EASA Technical Support Specialist 

Contrary to popular opinion, bigger is not al­ways better. A case in point is the electric motor, the workhorse of industry. There is a natural ten­dency to want a little extra power, “just in case.”

That’s why auto makers still sell cars with 300 hp engines, even though the speed limit may be under 70 miles per hour. But, just like those gas-guzzlers, operating an oversized electric motor may cost additional money; sometimes, a lot of money. Here is a simple procedure for determin­ing the actual hp required by a load, without expensive equipment or engineering. Bear in mind that loads should be determined when the motor is operating at its maximum load. A load that varies widely is a good candidate for a vari­able frequency drive (VFD). 

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