Take a closer look at energy usage

CompAir reminds businesses that it is not all bad news on the energy front.

In light of the recent Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF) report, highlighting industry worries over energy costs, leading compressor manufacturer CompAir is reminding businesses that it is not all bad news on the energy front.

The EEF report found that an overwhelming 92% of firms had seen a rise in their energy prices over the last year but CompAir believes that there are significant opportunities for many of those in the manufacturing sector to reduce the impact of these rises by reviewing their compressed air systems.

Jeremy Sykes, Managing Director of CompAir UK and Ireland, says: "Unfortunately, we have to face the fact that energy costs are unlikely to fall by any significant degree in the foreseeable future".

"At CompAir, we have been looking at ways of working with customers to achieve levels of energy cost savings that will make a real difference to their bottom line, despite the rising charges".

Compressed air generation accounts for a high proportion of UK industry's energy costs but CompAir believes many users may not be fully aware of the true cost of their compressed air.

Jeremy Sykes continues: "A compressed air system can sometimes be taken for granted if it is not causing any problems".

"Providing it is running reliably, questions aren't always asked about its energy efficiency and often it is only a system failure that leads to a review".

"However, with the work being done by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), the Carbon Trust and other independent organisations to highlight cost saving opportunities, we are finding more companies wanting to take a pro-active approach by reviewing the performance of their compressed air system".

"Happily, it is a nondisruptive and straightforward process to examine the existing setup and identify ways and means of improving its efficiency".

The key in many installations, according to CompAir, is to consider the advantages of introducing a variable speed compressor into the system.

The company points out that the biggest single cause of energy wastage in compressed air systems comes down to air being generated but not used.

An 'unloaded' compressor is inefficient.

The most common conventional method of controlling compressor output is to load and unload between upper and lower pressure set points.

However, even when the compressor unloads, the drive motor will continue to rotate.

As a result, a conventional fixed speed compressor producing zero compressed air can still be using 20 to 70% of full load power.

"For a system to operate energy efficiently, the supply of air from the compressor has to match demand".

"Inevitably, demand will rise and fall over different shift patterns".

"There may be situations, for example at weekends, when a minimal amount of compressed air is required to keep essential processes ticking over, but the compressor will still be working at high power", says Sykes.

The solution that CompAir offers is a complete audit of the compressed air system, carried out using data logging equipment.

This sees an intelligent data logging device being attached to the system to monitor not only the quantity but pattern of usage of compressed air over a set working period, typically a week.

The data is extrapolated to produce a pattern of actual annual site demand.

From this a compressed air system can be designed that specifically meets current site requirements and any planned expansions, and eliminates wastage.

From the company's experience, the exercise usually leads to a variable speed, as opposed to fixed speed, compressor being introduced to the system - these compressors can produce savings in excess of 25% in energy and operational costs.

Although in many cases this might necessitate the purchase of new equipment, there are financial incentives available and, CompAir claims, resulting energy cost savings can render the new equipment self-funding over an acceptable period.

Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) are available for all sizes of business for qualifying equipment, which includes energy efficient compressors.

For SMEs there is the possibility of obtaining an interest-free loan under the Carbon Trust's energy efficiency programme.

Sykes concludes: "It is understandable that manufacturers are worried about rising energy prices but the situation has made many users take a closer look at their energy usage and alerted them to the levels of wastage inherent in their systems".

"The advantage of data logging is that it takes the guesswork completely out of the equation".

"Users can establish precisely how much their compressed air is costing them now and how much they can save with a reconfigured system".

"In our experience the figures invariably stack up".

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