Energy saving advice
July 26th 2007

The Carbon Trust’s guide released this year is a technology overview that introduces the energy saving opportunities for compressed air systems and demonstrates how simple actions save energy, cut costs and increase profit margins

The process of compressing air can be wasteful. Of the total energy supplied to a compressor, as little as 8–10% may be converted into useful energy that can do work at the point of use. This makes it a very expensive form of energy.

Despite the high cost of production, many systems waste up to 30% of the compressed air through leaks, poor maintenance, misapplication and poor control. These figures demonstrate the cost of running a compressed air system and the value of minimising wastage.

Figure (below) shows that, over a ten-year life of a compressor, the cost of energy to run the system far outweighs the capital investment. It also shows that maintenance accounts for 7% of the total costs, yet this is a crucial activity for maximising the energy efficiency of any compressor.

A guide ‘Compressed air Introducing energy saving opportunities for business’ is available from the Carbon Trust free of charge. Go to the website and download CTV017, contents include:

• Air compressors — technology overview

• Types of air compressor

• Opportunities for energy saving

• Usage and housekeeping

• Leak reduction

• Improving intake air quality, generation and control

• Air treatment

• Air receivers and distribution systems

• Maintenance

• Monitoring

• Specification and design

• Legislative requirements

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