Method for optimizing the energy of pumps

A method for energy-optimization on operation of several speed-controllable centrifugal pumps in a hydraulic installation, the method comprising:

• determining which pumps as pilot pumps are directly assigned to a consumer and which pumps are subordinate to the pilot pumps;
• and
• activating the subordinate pumps with varying rotational speeds for energy-optimization,
• wherein an energy-optimization circuit is optimized by way of a variable e being determined for each pump, said variable being determined by the quotient of a change of taken-up power and a change of delivered hydraulic power of the pump, and that the variables e of the pilot pumps are added and thus brought to agree with the variable e of each of the pumps connected in series upstream, by way of variance of the activation of the pumps connected in series upstream, wherein parallel-connected pumps which are connected upstream in series are considered as one pump.