Code Readiness Data Brief: High Performance Elevators

In 2024, PG&E’s Code Readiness Program research team initiated an energy modeling research project for elevators in commercial and multifamily buildings. The intent of the energy modeling research was to provide a clear methodology and dataset that would help inform developing a CASE measure for the California Building Standards Code Title 24, which currently includes mandatory requirements for lighting and ventilation, but no requirements around the elevator system. Elevator operation accounts for 2-5 percent of electricity use in modern buildings with more than 1,900 passenger traction and hydraulic elevators installed in CA each year. This project aimed to understand the energy savings potential of installing a regenerative drive on a traction elevator as well as the energy savings potential of replacing the soft starter on a hydraulic elevator with a variable voltage variable frequency drive. The Project Team modeled traction and hydraulic elevators for 11 different building prototypes for the base case and proposed scenarios across different input parameters. This data brief presents the energy modeling data collected under this project and the key research methods used.