Introduction
The energy efficiency of a conveyor system is not determined by one component.
Two conveyor systems performing a similar job can use energy differently depending on how they are designed and controlled. Motors, powered zones, sensors, accumulation, pneumatic components and the overall layout can all influence how much energy is required to keep products moving.
This is why improving conveyor energy efficiency is not simply a case of replacing powered conveyors with gravity conveyor. Gravity systems have valuable applications, but many warehouse processes require powered movement, controlled accumulation, transfers, bends and automated routing.
The more useful question is how the powered conveyor system can be designed so that energy is used only where and when it is actually needed.
Modern controls, 24-volt powered zones and intelligent accumulation can all contribute to this, particularly when replacing older conveyor designs that rely on continuously operating equipment or compressed air for certain functions.
Where Does a Conveyor System Use Energy?
In a powered conveyor system, energy can be used by several different components.
Depending on the design, these may include:
- Conveyor motors
- Motorised rollers
- Drives
- Sensors and controls
- Pneumatic equipment
- Transfers
- Ancillary equipment
The amount of energy used therefore depends on more than the length of the conveyor.
A long conveyor that operates intelligently according to product demand may use energy differently from a shorter system that runs continuously regardless of whether products are present.
This is why the complete conveyor design needs to be considered when looking at energy efficiency.
Does Every Conveyor Need to Run Continuously?
No.
One of the clearest opportunities to reduce unnecessary energy use is to avoid operating powered conveyor sections when they are not required.
Traditional conveyor systems may use larger sections driven by a common motor. Depending on the design, that can mean a significant length of conveyor operates whenever products need to move through any part of that section.
Modern systems can divide the conveyor into smaller controlled zones.
Sensors can detect when a product enters a zone and the controls can operate the appropriate conveyor section when movement is required.
When no product needs to move through a particular zone, that section may not need to run.
This means energy use can respond more closely to actual product flow rather than simply keeping the complete conveyor operating throughout a shift.
How Does Conveyor Zoning Affect Energy Use?
Zoning divides a conveyor into separately controlled sections.
This is particularly common in accumulation conveyor systems.
Rather than having one continuous powered conveyor where every section runs together, individual zones can respond to the products travelling through them.
A product entering one zone can trigger the required movement while other sections remain inactive until they are needed.
This can be especially useful in operations where product flow is intermittent.
If cartons only travel through a section periodically, there may be little value in powering that conveyor continuously while it is empty.
Zoning can therefore support both product control and energy efficiency.
What Role Does 24-Volt Accumulation Play?
24-volt accumulation conveyor systems can provide more localised control over product movement.
Instead of relying on a single larger drive to operate a long conveyor section, individual zones can use 24-volt motorised rollers or similar low-voltage drive technology.
Each zone can then operate according to product demand.
This makes it possible to move products through the system in a controlled way while reducing the need for large sections of conveyor to run unnecessarily.
It can also change how other functions within the conveyor system are designed.
For example, some older systems may use pneumatic equipment to stop and release products before bends or transfers. A modern 24-volt system can sometimes perform these functions differently, reducing the system’s reliance on compressed air.
How Can a Modern Conveyor Replace Pneumatic Functions?
One example comes from an older conveyor system where pneumatic stops were used before conveyor bends.
The stops controlled product flow by physically holding cartons until the downstream conveyor was ready to receive them.
This approach required a compressed-air supply alongside the electrical conveyor system.
When the conveyor system was replaced, the new design used 24-volt accumulation and 24-volt pop-up transfers instead.
The 24-volt accumulation system could control the movement and spacing of products through individually managed conveyor zones, while electrically powered pop-up transfers handled product movement between conveyor sections.
As a result, compressed air was no longer required for those particular conveyor functions.
The newer design may involve greater initial investment than some simpler alternatives, but energy efficiency needs to be considered across the operating life of the conveyor rather than only at the point of purchase.
Removing unnecessary pneumatic functions can be part of that calculation.
Why Can Reducing Compressed Air Use Improve Energy Efficiency?
Compressed air does not appear automatically.
A compressor uses electricity to take atmospheric air, compress it and maintain the pressure required by pneumatic equipment.
This means every pneumatic stop, actuator or other air-powered function ultimately contributes to the wider energy demand of the compressed-air system.
There can also be additional losses within the system.
Pipework, fittings, hoses and connections can develop leaks over time. The compressor then has to continue supplying air to compensate for those losses as well as meeting the actual operational demand.
The amount of energy involved will vary considerably between facilities, which is why it would be misleading to apply a standard saving to every conveyor project.
However, where conveyor functions can be achieved effectively using controlled electrical equipment rather than compressed air, reducing pneumatic demand can contribute to lower energy use over the life of the system.
What Role Do Conveyor Controls Play?
Controls determine when and how conveyor equipment operates.
A conveyor control system might use information from sensors to determine:
- Whether a product is present
- Whether the downstream zone is available
- When a product should move
- When it should stop
- Which route it should take
- Whether a transfer should operate
This allows the conveyor to respond to actual material flow.
Without suitable controls, equipment may continue running even when there is nothing to transport.
Good control design is therefore important for both operational performance and energy efficiency.
The objective is not simply to install more controls. It is to use them to make the conveyor operate more intelligently.
Can Conveyor Speed Affect Energy Efficiency?
Potentially.
Running a conveyor faster than the process requires does not necessarily improve warehouse performance.
If products reach the next workstation faster than employees or equipment can process them, they simply accumulate sooner.
The conveyor speed should therefore reflect the requirements of the wider operation.
In some powered conveyor applications, variable-speed drives can allow conveyor speed to be adjusted according to the process.
However, the correct approach depends on the conveyor type, product and required throughput.
The objective should be to achieve the required material flow without unnecessarily operating equipment beyond what the process needs.
Do Energy Efficient Motors Make a Difference?
Motors are another part of the energy-efficiency calculation.
A motor should be appropriately selected for the load and application.
Simply installing the largest available motor does not necessarily make a conveyor more capable or efficient.
Motor sizing needs to consider factors such as:
- Conveyor length
- Product weight
- Required speed
- Conveyor type
- Starting conditions
- Number of products being transported
Modern drive technology can also provide greater control over how and when motors operate.
However, motor efficiency should not be considered in isolation.
An efficient motor running unnecessarily for an entire shift may still represent avoidable energy use.
System design and control strategy remain important.
Can Gravity Conveyors Reduce Energy Use?
Yes, in the right application.
Gravity roller conveyors use the weight of the product and a suitable gradient to create movement rather than relying on a powered drive.
This means they can provide a simple way to transport suitable cartons, totes and other flat-bottomed products without powering the conveyor itself.
Telescopic gravity roller conveyors can also be useful for certain vehicle loading and unloading applications.
However, gravity conveyor should not be treated as a general replacement for powered conveyor.
Many warehouse processes require controlled product movement, level transport, accumulation, automated routing or reliable movement over routes where gravity alone would not be appropriate.
The most energy-efficient design is therefore not necessarily the one with the least powered conveyor.
It is the one that uses the appropriate technology for each part of the process without consuming energy unnecessarily.
Does Conveyor Layout Affect Energy Efficiency?
Yes.
A poorly planned layout can create unnecessary product movement.
If goods travel significantly further than required to reach their destination, the conveyor system has to perform additional work.
A good layout should consider the complete product journey.
This includes:
- Where products enter the system
- Where they need to go
- Where they wait
- Where routes split or merge
- Which processes create bottlenecks
- How products move between different levels
Improving material flow can sometimes reduce unnecessary conveyor travel as well as improving overall warehouse efficiency.
Why Does Product Flow Matter?
Energy efficiency should not be considered separately from throughput and product flow.
A conveyor might use relatively little energy while running, but if poor control causes repeated stops, congestion or unnecessary recirculation, the complete process may still be inefficient.
Understanding how products actually move through the operation helps determine when conveyors need to run and where accumulation is required.
This is particularly important where different processes operate at different speeds.
The aim is to create a controlled flow rather than simply keeping products moving as quickly as possible.
Can Maintenance Affect Conveyor Energy Efficiency?
Yes.
Conveyor equipment in poor condition may not operate as efficiently as intended.
Problems such as worn components, poor alignment, contamination or unnecessary friction can affect how the system performs.
Maintenance can also be particularly relevant where pneumatic equipment remains part of the conveyor system.
Compressed-air leaks can develop gradually and may not always be immediately obvious during normal operation, but the compressor still needs to replace the lost air.
Regular inspection and preventative maintenance can therefore support both reliability and energy performance.
Maintenance also helps extend equipment life, which is another important consideration when looking at the wider sustainability of an automation system.
Can Sensors Help Reduce Unnecessary Conveyor Operation?
Yes.
Sensors allow the control system to understand what is happening on the conveyor.
For example, a sensor can identify that a carton has entered a particular zone.
The system can then activate the required section and move the product onwards.
Once the movement is complete, that section can stop if it is no longer required.
This is different from simply powering an entire conveyor continuously regardless of product demand.
Sensors can also support accumulation, routing and coordination between different pieces of equipment.
Their value therefore comes from enabling the conveyor to respond to what is actually happening within the process.
Does Accumulation Make a Conveyor More Energy Efficient?
Accumulation is primarily used to manage product flow rather than save energy.
It allows products to wait in a controlled way when the next process is temporarily unavailable.
However, modern accumulation systems can also contribute to an energy-efficient conveyor design.
With individually controlled zones, only the sections required to move or release products may need to operate.
This can reduce unnecessary conveyor operation compared with a system where large powered sections continue running while products remain stationary.
The main purpose of accumulation is still operational control, but intelligent zone control can provide an additional energy benefit.
Is the Most Automated Conveyor Always the Most Energy Efficient?
No.
Adding more equipment does not automatically make a conveyor more efficient.
Every additional motor, sensor, transfer and automated function has its own energy and maintenance requirements.
The objective should be to use the appropriate level of automation for the process.
In some areas, a simple gravity conveyor may be sufficient.
Elsewhere, 24-volt accumulation may provide more efficient control.
Higher-throughput processes may require larger powered conveyor systems.
The best solution depends on what needs to be moved, where it needs to go and how frequently the system operates.
How Does Conveyor Efficiency Fit Into Sustainable Warehouse Automation?
Energy consumption is an important part of sustainability, but it is not the only consideration.
A conveyor system may remain in service for many years.
Its wider impact can therefore also be influenced by:
- Equipment lifespan
- Maintenance requirements
- Repairability
- Replacement components
- Ability to adapt to future requirements
- Material use
- Space efficiency
A system that uses slightly more resources at the installation stage but operates efficiently and remains useful for longer may provide a better long-term outcome than equipment selected purely on the lowest initial cost.
The example of replacing pneumatic conveyor functions with controlled 24-volt technology demonstrates this principle.
There can be more cost upfront, but the complete operating life of the equipment needs to be considered when assessing efficiency.
What Should Businesses Ask When Choosing an Energy Efficient Conveyor?
Rather than simply asking whether a conveyor is “energy efficient”, it can be more useful to ask how the system has been designed to use energy effectively.
Questions could include:
- Does the complete conveyor need to run continuously?
- Can individual zones stop when they are not required?
- Are motors appropriately sized?
- Is 24-volt accumulation suitable for parts of the system?
- Are pneumatic functions necessary?
- Could electrically controlled alternatives reduce compressed-air demand?
- Can conveyor speed be matched to the process?
- Does the layout minimise unnecessary product movement?
- How easy is the equipment to maintain?
- Can the system adapt if the operation changes?
These questions provide a much clearer picture of how the conveyor is likely to perform in day-to-day operation.
Conclusion
An energy-efficient conveyor system is not defined by one motor, one technology or whether the conveyor is powered at all.
Efficiency comes from designing the complete system around the actual material flow.
Powered conveyors are essential in many warehouse applications, but they do not necessarily need to operate continuously. Zoning, sensors, intelligent controls and 24-volt accumulation can allow individual sections to operate according to demand.
System design can also remove energy requirements that are easy to overlook. Replacing older pneumatic stops and transfers with suitable 24-volt accumulation and electrically powered transfers, for example, can remove the need for compressed air for those particular functions. Because compressed air requires electricity to generate and can experience additional losses through leaks, this can contribute to lower energy demand over the operating life of the conveyor.
There may be additional investment involved in a more intelligently controlled system, so the decision should consider long-term operation rather than initial purchase price alone.
If you’re reviewing an existing conveyor system or planning a new one, feel free to contact the team to discuss how the design, controls and equipment could be matched to your operation. You can also explore more articles across the Knowledge Hub for practical guidance on conveyor systems, controls, maintenance and warehouse automation.