The growth of motion control applications， coupled with environmental， commercial and legislative pressure to reduce energy consumption， means that efficiency is at the top of the design agenda for motor-based systems. The International Energy Agency estimates that electric motors account for almost half （46%） of total global energy consumption， thus making them a focus for energy efficiency initiatives. Energy efficiency is sufficiently important that， in 2009， the European Union issued an energy-related products directive （ErP） 2009/125/EC. While the directive focused on multiple energy-consuming devices， EU regulation 640/2009 specifically relates to electric motors， whether they are sold as stand-alone devices or as part of larger equipment. Making the situation more complex is the fact that there is an extremely wide range of electric motor applications covering multiple sectors， all of which require reliable， energy-efficient solutions. In the home， motors are found in white goods such as refrigerators， kitchen appliances， washers and dryers. Cooling devices such as air conditioners and fans are also popular applications.