Cogged v-belts (also known as notched v-belts) are about three percent more efficient at power transmission than smooth v-belts and are commonly recommended to replace smooth v-belts in industrial and commercial energy audits. While the energy-efficiency properties of cogged v-belts are widely accepted and documented, smooth v-belts still persist in practice. Moreover, few utility or government efficiency programs target v-belts for efficiency savings. As a result, many questions remain regarding the relative market penetration of cogged versus smooth v-belts, the technical potential for market transformation, and effective efficiency program design strategies to encourage adoption of cogged v-belts.

This paper describes the early challenges of developing a midstream cogged v-belt pilot program that addresses these questions. The concept of why a midstream program was selected will be discussed, followed by pilot program design, incentive design, early challenges, and best practices in pilot development. The cogged v-belt pilot program is a collaboration of several electric utilities, a regional energy efficiency organization, a national lab, and a state manufacturing trade association.