Bus Bar in New Building 1

[FatherBear]

Is there a general rule of thumb in costing a bus bar system in a manufacturing facility vs. hard wiring? We are building a new 90,000 SF facility and we are only planning on getting one set of electrical quotes for the total project. I need some sort of price comparison for a 30'x110' machine shop before our VP will even consider bus ducts. The architect will distribute the bids to contractors after we tell them our specific needs.

 

[lyledunn]

I know for sure that hard wiring is much cheaper! However the main advantage of bus systems is the relative ease with which load points can be altered. If this is factored into say a ten year plan good old bus may triumph! Regards,

Lyledunn

 

[jbartos]

Suggestion: It depends on the machine types in the machine shop. If you have small machines with fractional HP, then the busways would not be appropriate.

 

[dpc]

First cost will always be lower for a conduit/cable system when compared with any type of bus.

The decision may depend on how frequently the machine room will be changed, requiring wiring changes.

I will disagree with jbartos because if you have numerous small motor loads, you can use plug-in busway to great advantage. This is especially true where frequent changes are made to the equipment. You can also install motor starters integral to the bus.

 

[FatherBear]

I just found an example from a company for a small busway (225 Amps) that had a total installed price cheaper than hard wiring. Due to the design of their busways, they contend that their material costs are less than other bus ducts and that installation is extremely easy. This may be useful to anyone interested in large wiring projects.

 

[busbar]

100-amp even:

http://www.geindustrial.com/cwc/products?pnlid=5&famid=6&catid=22&id=dh