If you’re in the market for industrial wastewater treatment equipment, you’ve probably noticed that energy costs often make up 30 to 50% of a treatment plant’s total operational expenses. As a wastewater treatment equipment supplier who’s worked with small breweries, large manufacturing facilities, and municipal plants across three states, I can tell you this isn’t an exaggeration—it’s a hard, daily reality that every plant operator faces. The energy requirements of wastewater treatment equipment don’t just vary by the type of machine; they’re shaped by the waste stream it’s handling, the plant’s design, and even regional utility rates. Over the past 12 years in this business, I’ve helped clients cut their energy bills by 22% on average by choosing the right equipment, and that starts with understanding exactly what those energy needs are. Wastewater Treatment Equipment
Let’s break this down by the core pieces of equipment every wastewater treatment system relies on, because each has its own unique energy footprint. First up is the primary treatment stage, which is all about removing large, settleable solids before they move further into the process. The workhorses here are grit chambers, clarifiers, and screening equipment. Grit chambers, for example, use either horizontal flow or aeration to separate sand, ash, and other heavy debris from the waste stream. A conventional aerated grit chamber might use 5 to 10 kWh per million gallons (MG) of wastewater it processes, mostly to run the air diffusers that keep solids suspended long enough to settle. Screening equipment—both manual and automatic—has lower energy demands, usually 0.5 to 2 kWh per MG, because it only needs to run motors to rotate the screens or rakes. But here’s the thing: old, poorly maintained screens can eat up 30% more energy because they get clogged with debris, forcing motors to work harder. That’s why we always include free preventive maintenance checks for our screening equipment—small tweaks that add up to big energy savings.
Next is secondary treatment, the stage where most of the biological action happens. This is where activated sludge systems, moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs), and aeration basins live, and aeration alone is responsible for 60 to 70% of a wastewater plant’s total energy use. Activated sludge systems, the most common type in North America, use blowers to pump air into the aeration tank, giving microorganisms the oxygen they need to break down organic waste. A traditional activated sludge system can use 10 to 25 kWh per MG, depending on the organic load of the wastewater. If your plant is handling high-strength waste—like a food processing plant with lots of fats and sugars—that number jumps to 25 to 35 kWh per MG. That’s why we often recommend MBBRs for high-strength waste streams: our MBBR systems use 20 to 30% less aeration energy than traditional activated sludge because the biofilm on the moving media is more efficient at oxygen uptake. I had a client at a pasta factory last year who switched from their old activated sludge system to our MBBR setup, and their aeration bill went from $12,000 a month to $8,500. That’s the kind of real-world impact that matters, not just theoretical numbers.
Then there’s tertiary treatment, the final polishing stage where water is cleaned enough to be reused or discharged safely. This includes processes like membrane filtration, reverse osmosis (RO), and disinfection. Membrane bioreactors (MBRs), which combine secondary treatment with membrane filtration, are growing in popularity because they produce high-quality effluent, but they have higher energy demands than traditional systems—usually 15 to 30 kWh per MG, with 70% of that going to running the membrane pumps and air scouring systems that keep membranes from fouling. RO systems, which are used for water reuse applications, have even higher energy needs, often 5 to 10 kWh per 1,000 gallons of permeate produced, because they require high pressure to force water through the membrane. Disinfection equipment—whether it’s UV, chlorine, or ozone—has lower energy costs, but they add up: a 1 million gallon per day (MGD) plant using UV disinfection will use about 1 to 3 kWh per MG, while ozone systems can use 5 to 10 kWh per MG, mostly for the ozone generation process.
Now, it’s not just about individual pieces of equipment—it’s about how they work together, and that’s where many plant owners go wrong. I’ve seen plants install energy-efficient blowers but leave their old, leaky pipes in place, wasting all the energy savings. Or they size their equipment incorrectly: a system that’s too big will use more energy than needed, while one that’s too small will run inefficiently and break down more often. That’s why we don’t just sell equipment—we do a full energy audit of a plant’s existing setup before making recommendations. Last year, a municipal plant in a small town came to us saying their energy bills had gone up 40% in a year, even though their equipment was only 5 years old. We found they had oversized aeration blowers that were cycling on and off constantly, which is very inefficient. We replaced them with variable-speed blowers that adjust their output based on the actual oxygen demand, and their energy use dropped by 28%.
Regional factors also play a huge role in energy requirements. For example, plants in colder climates have to heat the wastewater to keep microorganisms active, which adds 10 to 20% to their total energy use. I work with a dairy processing plant in Minnesota, and their secondary treatment system required a 50 kW heat exchanger to keep the aeration tank at 20°C year-round. In contrast, a similar plant in Florida doesn’t need that heat, so their energy use is 15% lower. Utility rates matter too: a plant in a state with high electricity costs—like California or New York—will have a much higher total energy bill than a plant with the same equipment in a state with lower rates, like Idaho or Wyoming. That’s why we always factor in a client’s local utility rates when designing a system, not just the equipment’s base energy use.
Another often-overlooked factor is maintenance. A well-maintained piece of equipment is 15 to 25% more energy efficient than one that’s neglected. For example, a blower with dirty air filters has to work harder to move air, using more energy. A clarifier with a clogged skimmer will have to run longer cycles to remove solids, wasting energy. That’s why we include a 2-year preventive maintenance plan with every system we sell, which includes filter changes, motor lubrication, and performance checks. One of our small brewery clients in Ohio tried to skip the maintenance plan to save money, and within six months their aeration system was using 30% more energy, and they had to replace a motor 18 months early. The cost of the maintenance plan would have been $1,200, and the motor replacement was $4,500— a clear case where cutting corners costs more in the long run.
As a supplier, we’re also seeing a shift in what clients are asking for. More and more, they don’t just want equipment that works—they want equipment that’s energy-efficient, because sustainability goals are becoming a key part of many businesses’ operations. A brewery that can reuse its wastewater for cleaning equipment cuts its water bills and reduces its environmental impact, and that often starts with the energy efficiency of the treatment system. We’ve started partnering with manufacturers who design equipment with energy recovery features, like blowers that capture excess air pressure to generate electricity, or heat exchangers that reuse waste heat from the aeration process to warm the incoming wastewater. These features might add 5 to 10% to the upfront cost, but they pay for themselves in energy savings in 3 to 5 years.
I want to be clear here: there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to energy requirements for wastewater treatment equipment. A small restaurant with a 5,000 gallon per day (GPD) load has totally different needs than a 100 MGD municipal plant. A food processing plant with high-strength waste has different needs than a pharmaceutical plant with very low, regulated waste. That’s why taking the time to assess a client’s specific situation is non-negotiable. I’ve had clients come to me saying they want the cheapest equipment, only to find out later that it uses twice as much energy as a slightly more expensive, efficient model. The upfront cost is only part of the equation—lifetime operational costs are what matter most.
If you’re looking to upgrade your wastewater treatment equipment, or you’re planning a new system, don’t get stuck on the initial price tag. Ask questions about energy efficiency, ask about maintenance plans, and ask how the equipment will work with your specific waste stream and local utilities. As a supplier who’s built this business on long-term relationships, I’m here to help you navigate all of this. Whether you’re a plant operator dealing with high energy bills, a business owner looking to improve your sustainability, or someone just starting out and trying to understand what you need, I can provide the detailed information and customized solutions you’re looking for. To discuss your specific needs, connect with our team to start a procurement conversation tailored to your operations.
Wastewater Treatment Equipment References
- Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (2014). Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Energy Efficiency Guidelines for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants. EPA 832-R-21-002.
- Water Environment Federation. (2019. Energy Management in Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Practical Guide). Water Environment Federation Press.
- American Society of Civil Engineers. (2020). Sector Performance Report: Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure. ASCE.
- Zhang, H., & Chen, L. (2022). Energy Efficiency of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors for Industrial Wastewater Treatment. Journal of Environmental Management, 305, 114328.
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