Three phase electric motors are currently regulated for Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). MEPS for electric motors was first introduced in October 2001 (MEPS 1) in Australia, and 2002 in New Zealand. The levels were upgraded in 2006 (MEPS 2) in both countries.

Since regulation commenced, three phase electric motors from 0.73kW to <185kW manufactured in or imported into Australia or New Zealand must comply with MEPS requirements which are set out in AS/NZS 1359.5-2004 for the current levels. MEPS does not apply to submersible motors, integral motor-gear systems, variable or multi-speed motors or those rated only for short duty cycles (IEC 60034-2 duty rating S2). Rewound motors are not required to comply with MEPS.

The Minimum Energy Performance Standards requirements are set out as minimum efficiency levels. These are set out in the tables below for Test Method B (AS 1359.102.1) and Test Method A (AS/NZS 1359.102.3) (see details on motor test methods).

In Australia, from 1 April 2006, MEPS levels for three phase electric motors were revised to become more stringent. The “High Efficiency” level from 2001 became the MEPS level on 1 April 2006. From 1 April 2005 a revised “High Efficiency” level came into force. These new MEPS and high efficiency requirements are set out in detail in AS/NZS 1359.5-2004 which was published in September 2004. This standard supersedes AS/NZS 1359.5-2000.

MEPS levels and “High Efficiency” levels are set out in the tables as follows:

• Table A1: MEPS 2001, Test Method A
• Table A2: MEPS 2006, Test Method A and “High Efficiency” 2001, Test Method A
• Table A3: “High Efficiency” 2005, Test Method A
• Table B1: MEPS 2001, Test Method B
• Table B2: MEPS 2006, Test Method B and “High Efficiency” 2001, Test Method B
• Table B3: “High Efficiency” 2005, Test Method B

A copy of the standard can be purchased from SAI Global under licence from Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand.

Table A1: Efficiency Levels for Three Phase Electric Motors – Test Method A

Rated output kW	Minimum efficiency %
	2 pole	4 pole	6 pole	8 pole
0.73	72.3	72.7	70.7	66.7
0.75	72.3	72.7	70.7	66.7
1.1	74.6	74.6	73.6	69.9
1.5	76.9	76.9	75.7	73.0
2.2	79.5	79.5	78.1	76.1
3	81.2	81.2	79.9	78.2
4	82.8	82.8	81.6	80.1
5.5	84.4	84.4	83.3	82.0
7.5	85.8	85.8	84.7	83.7
11	87.2	87.2	86.4	85.6
15	88.3	88.3	87.7	87.1
18.5	89.0	89.0	88.6	88.0
22	89.5	89.5	89.1	88.7
30	90.5	90.5	90.2	89.9
37	91.1	91.1	90.8	90.6
45	91.7	91.7	91.5	91.2
55	92.2	92.2	92.0	91.8
75	92.9	92.9	92.8	92.7
90	93.4	93.2	93.2	93.0
110	93.8	93.8	93.7	93.5
132	94.2	94.1	94.1	93.8
150	94.5	94.5	94.4	94.1
< 185	94.5	94.5	94.4	94.1
NOTES:  For intermediate vales of rated output, the efficiency shall be determined by linear interpolation. Tolerances specified in Table 1.1bof AS/NZS 1359.5 are applicable to the above values only in the case of a verification test.

Table A2: Efficiency Levels for Three Phase Electric Motors – Test Method A

Rated output kW	Minimum efficiency %
	2 pole	4 pole	6 pole	8 pole
0.73	78.8	80.5	76.0	71.8
0.75	78.8	80.5	76.0	71.8
1.1	80.6	82.2	78.3	74.7
1.5	82.6	83.5	79.9	76.8
2.2	84.0	84.9	81.9	79.4
3	85.3	86.0	83.5	81.3
4	86.3	87.0	84.7	82.8
5.5	87.2	87.9	86.1	84.5
7.5	88.3	88.9	87.3	86.0
11	89.5	89.9	88.7	87.7
15	90.3	90.8	89.6	88.9
18.5	90.8	91.2	90.3	89.7
22	91.2	91.6	90.8	90.2
30	92.0	92.3	91.6	91.2
37	92.5	92.8	92.2	91.8
45	92.9	93.1	92.7	92.4
55	93.2	93.5	93.1	92.9
75	93.9	94.0	93.7	93.7
90	94.2	94.4	94.2	94.1
110	94.5	94.7	94.5	94.5
132	94.8	94.9	94.8	94.8
150	95.0	95.2	95.1	95.2
< 185	95.0	95.2	95.1	95.2
NOTES  For intermediate vales of rated output, the efficiency shall be determined by linear interpolation. Tolerances specified in Table 1.1 of AS/NZS 1359.5 are applicable to the above values only in the case of a verification test.

Table A3: Efficiency Levels for Three Phase Electric Motors – Test Method A

Rated output kW	Minimum efficiency %
	2 pole	4 pole	6 pole	8 pole
0.73	81.4	82.9	78.8	75.0
0.75	81.4	82.9	78.8	75.0
1.1	83.0	84.5	80.9	77.6
1.5	84.8	85.6	82.4	79.6
2.2	86.2	86.9	84.2	81.9
3	87.2	87.8	85.6	83.6
4	88.1	88.7	86.7	85.0
5.5	88.9	89.5	87.9	86.5
7.5	89.9	90.4	89.0	87.8
11	90.9	91.3	90.2	89.3
15	91.6	92.1	91.0	90.4
18.5	92.1	92.4	91.6	91.1
22	92.4	92.8	92.1	91.5
30	93.1	93.4	92.8	92.4
37	93.6	93.8	93.3	92.9
45	93.6	94.1	93.7	93.5
55	94.2	94.4	94.1	93.9
75	94.8	94.9	94.6	94.6
90	95.0	95.2	95.0	94.9
110	95.3	95.5	95.3	95.3
132	95.5	95.6	95.5	95.5
150	95.7	95.9	95.8	95.9
< 185	95.7	95.9	95.8	95.9
NOTES For intermediate vales of rated output, the efficiency shall be determined by linear interpolation. Tolerances specified in Table 1.1 of AS/NZS 1359.5 are applicable to the above values only in the case of a verification test.

Table B1: Efficiency Levels for Three Phase Electric Motors – Test Method B

Rated output kW	Minimum efficiency %
	2 pole	4 pole	6 pole	8 pole
0.73	74.0	74.4	72.4	68.4
0.75	74.0	74.4	72.4	68.4
1.1	76.2	76.2	75.2	71.5
1.5	78.5	78.5	77.3	74.6
2.2	81.0	81.0	79.6	77.6
3	82.6	82.6	81.4	79.7
4	84.2	84.2	83.0	81.5
5.5	85.7	85.7	84.6	83.3
7.5	87.0	87.0	86.0	85.0
11	88.4	88.4	87.6	86.8
15	89.4	89.4	88.8	88.2
18.5	90.0	90.0	89.6	89.0
22	90.5	90.5	90.1	89.7
30	91.4	91.4	91.1	90.8
37	92.0	92.0	91.7	91.5
45	92.5	92.5	92.3	92.0
55	93.0	93.0	92.8	92.6
75	93.6	93.6	93.5	93.4
90	94.1	93.9	93.9	93.7
110	94.4	94.4	94.3	94.1
132	94.8	94.7	94.7	94.4
150	95.0	95.0	94.9	94.7
< 185	95.0	95.0	94.9	94.7
NOTES For intermediate vales of rated output, the efficiency shall be determined by linear interpolation. Tolerances specified in Table 1.1 of AS/NZS 1359.5 are applicable to the above values only in the case of a verification test.

Table B2: Efficiency Levels for Three Phase Electric Motors – Test Method B

Rated output kW	Minimum efficiency %
	2 pole	4 pole	6 pole	8 pole
0.73	80.5	82.2	77.7	73.5
0.75	80.5	82.2	77.7	73.5
1.1	82.2	83.8	79.9	76.3
1.5	84.1	85.0	81.5	78.4
2.2	85.6	86.4	83.4	80.9
3	86.7	87.4	84.9	82.7
4	87.6	88.3	86.1	84.2
5.5	88.5	89.2	87.4	85.8
7.5	89.5	90.1	88.5	87.2
11	90.6	91.0	89.8	88.8
15	91.3	91.8	90.7	90.0
18.5	91.8	92.2	91.3	90.7
22	92.2	92.6	91.8	91.2
30	92.9	93.2	92.5	92.1
37	93.3	93.6	93.0	92.7
45	93.7	93.9	93.5	93.2
55	94.0	94.2	93.9	93.7
75	94.6	94.7	94.4	94.4
90	94.8	95.0	94.8	94.7
110	95.1	95.3	95.1	95.1
132	95.4	95.5	95.4	95.4
150	95.5	95.7	95.6	95.7
< 185	95.5	95.7	95.6	95.7
NOTES For intermediate vales of rated output, the efficiency shall be determined by linear interpolation. Tolerances specified in Table 1.1 of AS/NZS 1359.5 are applicable to the above values only in the case of a verification test.

 

Table B3: Efficiency Levels for Three Phase Electric Motors – Test Method B

Rated output kW	Minimum efficiency %
	2 pole	4 pole	6 pole	8 pole
0.73	82.9	84.5	80.4	76.5
0.75	82.9	84.5	80.4	76.5
1.1	84.5	85.9	82.4	79.1
1.5	86.2	87.0	83.8	81.0
2.2	87.5	88.2	85.5	83.3
3	88.5	89.1	86.9	84.9
4	89.3	89.9	87.9	86.2
5.5	90.1	90.7	89.1	87.7
7.5	90.9	91.5	90.1	88.9
11	91.9	92.2	91.2	90.3
15	92.5	92.9	92.0	91.4
18.5	92.9	93.3	92.5	92.0
22	93.3	93.6	92.9	92.4
30	93.9	94.2	93.6	93.2
37	94.2	94.5	94.0	93.7
45	94.6	94.8	94.4	94.2
55	94.9	95.0	94.8	94.6
75	95.4	95.5	95.2	95.2
90	95.5	95.7	95.5	95.5
110	95.8	96.0	95.8	95.8
132	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1
150	96.1	96.3	96.2	96.3
< 185	96.1	96.3	96.2	96.3
NOTES For intermediate vales of rated output, the efficiency shall be determined by linear interpolation. Tolerances specified in Table 1.1 of AS/NZS 1359.5 are applicable to the above values only in the case of a verification test.