According to the Department of Energy, “10% of all industrial energy goes to air compressors.” Based on years of auditing for our own clients, we can confirm that for a typical manufacturer, 10-20% of all plant electricity goes to the compressor room. That’s a massive amount of electricity. Manufacturers typically purchase air compressors with price in mind, trying to find the cheapest compressor available. Unfortunately, discussions about how efficient that compressor is for their plant needs are not usually addressed, and that can have enormous consequences for a manufacturer’s overall profitability.
Improving Air Compressor Energy Efficiency
Over the course of 10 years, an air compressor’s energy cost can be as much as 10 times the cost to buy the compressor itself. That makes sense when you consider air compressors typically have one of the largest electric motors in a facility and are one of the most continuously run machines in a plant.
Since we know that compressors consume huge amounts of electricity, we should care a great deal about how efficient it is. The single biggest determining factor for compressor efficiency is how it’s controlled. The primary control types for a compressor are:
- Modulation
- Load/Unload
- Variable Speed Drive
- Variable Capacity Control
Understanding how your compressor is controlled, and if it’s right for your plant’s need will tell you whether your system is efficient or not.
At TMI, our professional experts assess compressor efficiency all the time and can provide dollar figures for what you are paying now against what you could be paying in an improved system.
TMI Compressed Air System Audits
TMI’s compressed air system audits are designed to take a comprehensive look at your complete compressed air system. Unlike some competitor’s audits, TMI always measures true kW and compressor discharge pressure. This data is critical to an accurate audit and audits that lack these measurements often provide poor information, potentially leading to bad and expensive decisions.
From the number of air compressors you’re using to the type of dryer, and even your piping, we take every factor into account in our audits. We’ll look for air leaks, assess how much of your air capacity you’re using on each shift, and then we’ll develop an audit that outlines concerns and presents data-based solutions.
Every TMI compressed air system audit comes complete with concrete numbers, too. We’ll tell you exactly how much you’d spend to make system improvements, and what you’d get back. We know that productivity and the bottom line are always top-of-mind, and our audits are geared to help you get the very best return on any improvements you make.