Now that the weather is becoming warmer and the school year is winding down, many families will head to the beach for vacation. You might even dream of one day retiring to your favorite spot and buying a beach house, or maybe even a sailboat.
As you consider this dream, you probably also consider what it would cost to purchase a beach house or a sailboat. Did you know reducing unloaded running hours can result in enough annual savings to afford a beach house? And, did you also know the annual savings from one bar decrease in pressure are enough to buy a small sailboat?
Here are some easy ways to continue closing the energy gaps in your compressed air system to increase efficiency and save on energy costs:
1. Reduce Unloaded Running Hours
If compressors are left running after work hours, they can consume 25 percent of the energy consumed at full load. Plus, if there are leaks in the system, the compressors may occasionally switch to running at full load, which leads to the consumption of even more energy. To optimize energy efficiency in your compressed air system, you can use the fluctuations in air demand to identify and reduce unloaded running hours.
Try this: Controllers offer user-friendly ways to reduce unloaded running hours—a weekly timer turns the air compressor on and off according to air demand. Delayed Second Stop (DSS) analyzes air demand data to identify the optimal stop time of the compressor motor.
2. Reduce the Pressure Band
A one bar (14.5 psi) decrease in pressure reduces energy consumption by seven percent. And, if there are leaks in the compressed air system, the same pressure decrease reduces the impact of the leaks by 13 percent.
Try this: Many compressed air installations regulate system pressure by using the cascade method, where the start/stop and load/unload of the compressors is controlled by the pressure band. A central controller regulates the system through multiple parameters and sophisticated logarithms and is much more accurate than the cascade method.
Start Reducing Today
Are you interested in learning how to close the energy gap at your facility? Visit atlascopco.com/energysavings to learn more. If you would like to receive regular tips and articles on compressed air topics, subscribe to receive our weekly recap email and join the conversation.
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