Your Pumps Are Bleeding Money: How Real-Time Data And Generative Design Can Save You Thousands

In the first installment of the Get Pumped Up series, Transcend uncovers a costly truth: your municipal lift station might be bleeding hundreds of dollars an hour in energy costs—without you knowing it. One real-world example revealed a pump racking up nearly $500 per hour due to inefficiency. Multiply that across months, and the financial leak becomes staggering.

Michael Rosh of Autodesk explains how SCADA data, when aligned with pump curves, exposes inefficiencies that often go unnoticed. But it’s not just about identifying problems—it’s about acting fast. Enter generative design tools like Transcend’s Design Generator, which let engineers instantly reimagine and redesign pump stations based on real data. Forget months-long studies—think minutes to models and side-by-side CapEx/OpEx comparisons.

Combined with Autodesk Info360, utilities can now create a dynamic feedback loop between operations and planning—what experts call a "Living Master Plan." As Rosh and co-presenter Adam Tank stress, outdated infrastructure doesn’t have to mean outdated thinking.

If you're still swapping impellers instead of rethinking designs, you're solving 21st-century problems with 20th-century tools. Part 2 explores how to kill the 25-year master plan—for good.