Five ways to reduce compressed air energy consumption
03 November 2022
Rising energy costs and targets to reduce CO2 are challenges facing most businesses. In manufacturing, reducing the consumption of compressed air can yield big wins in both categories. Here, Festo offers five practical measures for reducing compressed air energy consumption in the production environment.
1. Conduct regular energy audits and improvement programmes
An energy audit assesses your compressed air system performance from the point of generation in the compressor room to consumption on the production line. The number and type of compressor, the required operating pressures, and the number of filters and dryers all influence energy efficiency. The type of application is important too: for instance, food processing usually requires higher quality air than automotive assembly, so it involves more filtration to remove contaminants and moisture, therefore consuming more energy.
A thorough audit analyses the data from the assessment, documents the findings, and includes an estimate of the energy saving that can be achieved. This is essential to deliver consistent and comparable results across multiple sites. Audits to this standard provide a measurable return on investment – whether your benchmark is KWh, CO2, or hard cash. However, one audit in isolation is only a snapshot in time. To be truly effective, audits need to be undertaken regularly, with results feeding into a continuous improvement plan.
Read the full article in DPA's November issue
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