RACA Journal October 2026 | Page 5

TECH TALK

Q & A HIGHLIGHTS: BEYOND MEPS

By Eamonn Ryan networking associations

While Francois Schoombie, technical director at ebm-papst South Africa, focused his online July SAIRAC TechTalk on Minimum Energy Performance Standards( MEPS), fan performance and the benefits of EC fan retrofits( which is featured more completely in this month’ s feature), the ensuing discussion broadened into several key industry themes.

Questions and comments from attendees explored maintenance and reliability, cleanroom applications, South Africa ' s regulatory trajectory, system efficiency measurement, project financing and the application of EC technology in hazardous environments.

One of the strongest themes to emerge was that the value of EC fan systems extends well beyond energy savings. Former SAIRAC president Robert Fox highlighted the operational challenges associated with traditional belt-driven systems, particularly in critical environments such as pharmaceutical facilities, hospitals and cold storage operations.

Discussions centred on the maintenance burden of belts, pulleys, bearings and shafts, together with the risk of extended downtime when replacement components are not readily available. Incorrect lubrication practices, belt tensioning issues and mechanical wear were also identified as common causes of reduced performance and premature failure.

By contrast, EC plug fans and fan wall systems eliminate many of these mechanical components, significantly reducing maintenance requirements. Participants noted that EC fan walls can also provide inherent redundancy, allowing remaining fans to compensate if one unit fails, thereby improving system resilience. Their compact footprint was identified as an additional advantage, particularly where plant room space is constrained.

For many operators, the resulting improvements in reliability, maintainability and uptime may be as important as the associated energy savings.

CLEANROOMS AND HEALTHCARE APPLICATIONS The discussion also touched on the suitability of belt-driven systems in contamination-sensitive environments. Schoombie explained that in some European healthcare and cleanroom applications, belt drives are avoided where they are located downstream of filtration stages because belt wear can generate particulate contamination.

As a result, designers either position belts upstream of critical filtration or adopt direct-drive fan technologies such as EC plug

Francois Schoombie, technical director at ebm-papst South Africa.

fans. While equivalent requirements are not widely embedded in South African regulations, the principle of minimising contaminant generation within clean air streams remains highly relevant for hospitals, cleanrooms and other high-specification ventilation applications.

The topic raised a question for local designers: whether future healthcare and cleanroom standards may increasingly favour direct-drive technologies in critical airflow paths.

The discussion highlighted that while South Africa ' s current regulations represent an important step forward, international markets are increasingly focusing on higher efficiency classes and whole-system performance rather than motor efficiency alone. This suggests that future regulatory developments may move beyond individual components towards more comprehensive system-level efficiency requirements.

For consultants and asset owners, the implication is that compliance with today ' s minimum standards may not necessarily represent best practice over the lifespan of a building or plant installation.

MEASURING REAL-WORLD FAN EFFICIENCY A significant portion of the discussion focused on how fan efficiency should be assessed in practice. Schoombie emphasised the importance of considering the entire efficiency chain, including motor efficiency, transmission losses, fan aerodynamics and drive performance.

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