KONE will launch this year a range of energy-efficient elevators that are designed to cut energy costs by 30 per cent, compared to its current volume models.

Powered by the energy-efficient Kone EcoDisc hoisting machine, the next generation of Kone machine-room-less elevators combines new regenerative solutions with impressive standby energy-saving capabilities.
Additional energy-efficient features such as LED lights in the elevator cabins are also improvements, which will allow a total reduction of 30 per cent in energy consumption, according to the company.
“Buildings account for approximately 40 per cent of the world’s energy needs and elevators can account for up to 10 per cent of a building’s energy consumption,” says Jussi Oijala, senior vice-president of Kone Technology. “Based on this, we see great potential to further reduce the impact of buildings on the environment by offering innovative and energy-efficient solutions to the market.”
On the role of Kone’s technology department in this innovation, Oijala says: “We basically looked at all our different technologies, ranging from electrification, machine drives, even lighting systems, and we reviewed what could be done to cutback the energy requirements. We are constantly looking at how we can improve the energy consumption of our solutions and that has been the key driver in our development. This 30 per cent reduction has been a result of developing our current technologies and combining some new ones as well.”
Kone is also eyeing a target of a 50 per cent energy consumption cutback in its elevator offering by 2010.
Explaining how the target will be achieved, Oijala says: “If you look at our earlier products and the improvements we have made compared to the very first release, we have already slashed the energy consumption by a very significant amount. There is still some room to improve and there are also some new technologies that are enabling us to find some savings here and there such as in lighting and we are also looking at more innovative and efficient ways to reduce friction in hoisting technologies.
“Basically, reaching our target will be a combination of small improvements and savings coming from all these different technologies in the elevator industry.”
For many years now, Kone has been developing innovative solutions to improve the movement of people in buildings worldwide while decreasing its impact on the environment.
Since its commercial launch in 1996, the Kone EcoDisc hoisting machine has cumulatively saved the electricity production equivalent of a typical power plant, says the company. This figure represents avoiding the consumption of two million barrels of oil, or the emissions of 100,000 cars driving the earth’s circumference, it adds.
Kone placed environmental issues high on its corporate agenda when launching in early 2008 its new development programmes, one of which was environmental excellence.
Key actions include initiatives to manage carbon emissions from its operations, schemes to develop innovative and eco-efficient People Flow solutions to save energy in urban developments, as well as actions to ensure its suppliers fulfil certain eco-efficiency requirements.
Kone provides its customers with industry-leading elevators, escalators and innovative solutions for modernisation and maintenance, and is one of the global leaders in its industry.
In 2007, Kone had annual net sales of €4.1 billion ($5.7 billion) and more than 32,500 employees.