Make no mistake about it – air is expensive.
In fact, compressed air is one of the most expensive sources of energy in a manufacturing facility. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a typical facility spends about 10% of its electricity use for generating compressed air. That figure can rise as high as 30% or more for other industrial facilities, resulting in a sizeable monthly expenditure just to produce air.
Reducing energy costs is clearly a great way for organizations to meet their sustainability goals and become better stewards of the environment – hallmarks that many in the industry are looking for in their partner suppliers.
A misconception seems to exist within manufacturing facilities that compressed air is free, and it’s easy to see why. Air is one of those elements that many take for granted. It can be difficult to associate an expense with air, which can be reason why it can be inadvertently misused.
One way for industrial manufacturing and packaging facilities to curb their energy costs is to proactively monitor their electricity usage. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends these steps to follow:
- Determine the cost of compressed air for your plant by periodically monitoring the compressor operating hours and load duty cycle
- Use a systems approach while operating and maintaining a compressed air system
- Adapt a plant-wide compressed air management policy to cut costs and reduce waste by eliminating inappropriate uses, fixing leaks, and matching system supply with demand
- Lower compressor pressure settings by 2 PSIG results in a 1% savings
- Lower compressor inlet air temperature by 10°F results in a 2% savings
Following these and other similar measures can result in a 20 to 50 percent savings in energy. Additionally, a well maintained and managed compressed air system reduces maintenance and leads to more reliable operation.
Wexxar Bel’s latest iteration of its popular selling BEL 505 brings several major improvements in operational efficiency, including a 27% reduction in air consumption, which significantly reduces the machine’s operating costs. With the BEL 505 V2, it was redesigned with sustainability in mind.
As air is the most expensive energy expenditure in most facilities, the ability of the BEL 505 V2 to reduce that cost is a major win for customers. For those facilities that have higher costs due to imperfect or inefficient air systems, the BEL 505 V2 gives customers even more savings.