Pentair Intelliflow - real world numbers

A few weeks ago I put in a new Pentair Intelliflow pump. I connected it through the Auto-pilot chlorinator and it works fine in a simple start / stop set up. It will start up at the last speed programmed when it was shut off.

So how much energy does it save.

Current draw at lowest speed 0.6 amps
Current draw at max speed 8.6 amps***
*** I have it on a 1 1/2 intake line so it sucks some air and if there was no air causing turbulence in the pump the top speed current may be a bit higher.

I have a Sta-Rite DE filter and find it filters just fine with the pump running at a speed that gives a current flow of 1.55 amps.

The move was to a new pump was prompted when I took off the 1 1/2 Hp pump that ran the filter and put it on the solar panels. That pump on pure 2"
plumbing suck the juice back at 10.75 amps.

So to run the filter the power is in fact reduced about 85%.
So why such a big pump. The 3/4 Hp that I started the season with did not create enough flow to get a good coating on the DE filter. Now to coat it I crank up the speed, after a couple hours to let it "cake on" I slow it down.
Run the filter all night and the solar as needed during the day. When the solar panel pump dies, or they put up the energy costs around here, I'll either get a fancier controller with automatic valves and run all off the one pump, or get a new pump.

Looking at some published head / flow / Hp curves it is supposed to output 140 GMP at about 55 ft head. That would be about the same as a 2 Hp pump. My 1 year old Sta-rite high efficiency pump is 1 1/2 Hp and its is drawing 10.75 amps so for about 25% less current I would get about 30% more flow on through the solar system ... or I could crank the rpm back and cut the current and cost.

Pretty happy with the set up. Makes me feel pretty green. Just gotta forget how expensive the pump was.