No one likes paying for waste, and by some estimates, compressed air systems – critical as they are – account for as much as $3.2 billion in wasted utility payments in the United States every year. That is undoubtedly the result of each manufacturer contributing their own share of waste, showing that a little can quickly add up to mean a lot. One quick and easy way to ensure your facility isn’t squandering energy in its compressed air production process is to consider the benefits that can be provided by a variable speed drive compressor, which continually varies compressed air production and output to meet fluctuating power requirements.
There are 168 hours in a week and most compressed air systems only require anything near full capacity between 60 and 100 hours, or about half the time. When an air compressor runs at 100 percent to accommodate demand that represents only 50 percent of the compressor’s maximum output, then half of the energy required to power that compressor is immediately wasted. Compared to a fixed drive compressor, a VSD compressor sized for the same end use requires on average 35 percent less power to operate – simple math shows that this can cut a manufacturer’s compressed air costs by one-third.
Look at one case where a manufacturer was running a 200 horsepower air compressor 24 hours a day at 3 cents per kWh. These energy costs have doubled in the last five years, increasing in some areas to 8 cents per kWh or more. The annual cost to operate that compressor at 3 cents per kWh was $41,273. Today, at 8 cents per kWh, that same compressor costs $110,062 to operate every year, or more than $550,000 over five years. Staying with this example, switching to a VSD compressor could potentially save this facility $38,521 annually or $192,608 over five years.
Have you saved money by switching to VSD technology? Share your story in the comments below.
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