Airport Escalators and Moving Walkways—Cost-Savings and Energy Reduction Technologies (2014)

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3 C H A P T E R 2 Escalators and moving walkways can account for 3 to 5 percent of electric energy use in air- ports.1 Components impacting energy use primarily consist of motors, controls, and lighting. Escalators and walkways consume energy based on the run time and the number of people utilizing them at a given time, which makes determining energy savings opportunities unique to each installation. The opportunity at each airport for energy efficiency improvement for its escalators and walk- ways depends on the current installation and the available energy saving technologies. Older escalators and walkways tend to be less energy efficient; newer models often already have many of the latest available energy savings technologies. The varied technologies and corresponding case-specific applications can be confusing. This report and the accompanying financial tool are meant to help eliminate confusion by providing a consolidated resource for airport managers. Escalators and moving walkways are often installed in pairs with one up and one down escala- tor or two moving walkways moving in different directions. Escalators and moving walkways are both usually driven by electric motors connected to steps in the moving walkway or escalator via a belt or chain mechanism. The size of the electric motor will depend on the load expected but is typically between 10 and 20 horsepower. The handrail is also usually connected to the electric motor via chain or belt. The overhead lighting for a unit is usually not built into the escalator or moving walkway. However, an escalator may have internal lights along the handrail and at the top and bottom to accent the escalator. If a new escalator or moving walkway has internal lights, they are usually light emitting diodes (LEDs). Old escalators and moving walkways typically use four-foot T8 fluorescent lamps. Applicable Standards United States safety regulations for escalators and moving walkways are located in ANSI/ ASME A17.1, “Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.” The latest revisions to this document at the time of this report are dated as of 2010. Prior to 2010, ASME A17.1 standard, Section 6.1.4.1 prohibited the use of intermittent escalators. Specifically, ASME A17.1 prohibited both varia- tions in speed after the start-up of an escalator and the automatic starting or stopping of an escalator. The release of the updated ASME standard, ASME A17.1-2010/CSA B44-10, permits the escalator speed to be changed provided there are no passengers using the escalator. Accord- ing to the standard, “rigid performance parameters must be provided to minimize any possibility Background 1 Sachs, Harvey M., “Opportunities for Elevator Energy Efficiency Improvements,” American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, April 2005.

4 Airport Escalators and Moving Walkways—Cost-Savings and Energy Reduction Technologies of speed change when passengers are riding the escalator and that the rate of change of speed of the escalator is sufficiently gradual so as not to cause loss of balance should a passenger bypass the detection means, yet sufficiently rapid to attain full speed when an approaching passenger is detected.” As of this report’s submission, many states have not adopted the 2010 version of ANSI/ ASME A17.1. However, escalators and moving walkways with variable speeds can be installed pending permission from individual airport governing bodies. The method for obtaining a code variance differs from state to state. Variations also can be obtained to bring the escalator or moving walkway to a complete stop. Table 2-1 lists key requirements for escalators and moving walkways outlined in the ASME 17.1 2010 code. Other requirements for escalators or moving walkways with intermittent drives (varying speeds) that are specific to speed variation include the following: • The minimum speed shall not automatically vary during inspection operation. • Passenger detection means should be provided at both landings of the escalator such that – Detection of any approaching passenger shall cause the escalator to accelerate to, or maintain, the full escalator speed, conforming to the speed and acceleration requirements listed above. – Detection of any approaching passenger shall occur sufficiently in advance of boarding to cause the escalator to attain full operating speed before a passenger walking at normal speed (1.35 min/s, 270 ft/min) reaches the comb plate. – Passenger detection means shall remain active at the egress landing to detect any passenger approaching against the direction of escalator travel and shall cause the escalator to accel- erate to full rated speed and sound an alarm (requirements for the alarm included in the code) at the approaching landing before the passenger reaches the comb plate. • Automatic deceleration shall not occur following the last passenger detection before a period of time has elapsed that is greater than three times the amount of time necessary to transfer a passenger between landings. • Means shall be provided to detect failure of passenger detection; means shall cause the escala- tor to operate at full rated speed only. Potential Savings in the United States According to U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter, who, in 2005, proposed escalators and walkways should be allowed to run intermittently, escalators and walkways are used 90 bil- lion times per year in the United States. The amount of energy consumed by their operation is approximately equivalent to powering 375,000 homes and costs $260 million per year.2 2 “New Technologies Provide Options for Making Escalators More Energy Efficient,” John Hurst, Elevator World, January 2007. Variable Requirements International System of Units (SI) Requirements English Units Minimum allowable speed for an escalator or moving walkway, without a variance 0.05 min/s 10 ft/min Maximum acceleration/deceleration rate 0.3 min/s2 1.0 ft/s2 Maximum allowable speed for an escalator or moving walkway 0.5 min/s 100 ft/min Table 2-1. ASME 17.1 escalator and moving walkway requirements.

Background 5 Many energy savings technologies that have been installed in Europe and Asia (e.g., inter- mittent drives for two-speed operation and start–stop operation) have not yet been installed in the United States in large quantities. Since many states have yet to adopt the latest version of the ANSI/ASME A17.1 Escalator and Walkway Safety Code that allows use of intermittent or start–stop operation, most local building codes do not allow installing equipment that provides intermittent or start–stop operation. Installing additional technologies such as LED lighting and regenerative drives can result in even greater savings. The actual savings on a given escalator will depend on how often the unit is idle, but a recent European study estimated that installing intermittent drives on all of Europe’s escalators could reduce total electricity use by about 28 percent.3 Energy savings technologies, such as regenerative drives and motor efficiency controllers, are just now gaining popularity in the United States. The energy savings potential for escalators and walkways is estimated to be in the range of 10 to 40 percent per upgraded escalator.4 Innovations in Europe and China According to a 2011 report, Europe is the largest market for escalators and accounts for nearly half of the total installed base of escalators worldwide. However, China currently leads the mar- ket as the fastest growing market for escalators.5 An amended version of China’s Energy Conservation Law became effective on September 1, 2009. As a result of this law, measures regarding high energy-consuming equipment, specifi- cally related to elevators and escalators, were put into effect. In 2009 and 2010, several airport construction projects completed in China took advantage of the latest escalator energy savings advancements. The largest project was the construction of the Hongqiao Airport, which has since become the largest travel hub in the nation. Over 100 escalators with intermittent drives and other new energy technologies were installed at this airport.6 European Standard EN115 Safety Rules for the Construction and Installation of Escalators and Passenger Conveyors, governs escalator installations in Europe. The European E4 Project, Energy Efficiency in Buildings, conducted a study on elevators and escalators from 2007 to 2010, concluding that a potential reduction of around 30 percent might be feasible if all of the escalators in Europe were equipped with automatic speed controls and with low power standby modes. The results prompted large-scale installation of these technologies across Europe. Intermittent or variable-speed escalators were popular in Europe and Asia several years prior to their installation in the United States, primarily due to the national safety code which previ- ously forbid escalators from changing speed, as described previously in this chapter in the sec- tion on applicable standards. 3 “Global Escalator & Elevator Market Report: 2011 Edition Latest Reports by Koncept Analytics,” September 2011, http:// www.prlog.org/11677776-global-escalator-elevator-market-report-2011-edition-latest-reports-by-koncept-analytics.html 4 Carlos Patrao, Anibal Almeida, Joao Fong, and Fernando Ferreira, “Elevators and Escalators: Energy Performance Analysis,” Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, ACEEE 3 (2010): 3-53–63. 5 “Global Escalator & Elevator Market Report: 2011 Edition Latest Reports by Koncept Analytics,” September 2011, http:// www.prlog.org/11677776-global-escalator-elevator-market-report-2011-edition-latest-reports-by-koncept-analytics.html 6 “Global Escalator & Elevator Market Report: 2011 Edition Latest Reports by Koncept Analytics,” September 2011, http:// www.prlog.org/11677776-global-escalator-elevator-market-report-2011-edition-latest-reports-by-koncept-analytics.html