If you've been making a pitch for a new material handling system for your warehouse or DC, chances are you've fielded a few questions from management about its energy requirements and costs. But how do you figure out how much energy your proposed system would consume?

HK Systems says its new energy calculator can help. The company, which sells automated material handling systems and software, is offering a free Excel-based tool for estimating the amount of energy used by different types of equipment. The calculator also can compare energy consumption and costs for two scenarios at a time. It includes step-by-step instructions for determining the energy usage and costs for equipment in dozens of material handling categories, including vertical lift machines (VLMs), automated storage and retrieval systems, pallet and case conveyors, sortation systems, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), fork trucks and similar vehicles, picking and palletizing, lifts, and building services such as lighting, HVAC, and refrigeration.

To learn more about the calculator, go to HK Systems' Web site and download a copy of "Lean, green supply chains: An energy-consumption calculator for material handling equipment." The bulletin provides step-by-step instructions for using the calculator and shows sample reports. The calculator itself can be found at www.hksystems.com/calculators.