Your compressed air system is likely eating thousands of dollars worth of profit annually, but these losses tend to go undetected because for a typical system, the important system performance parameters are largely ignored. Why? Because most people don’t know any better. This is where awareness training can help.
Most people don’t realize that air compressors consume about 7 to 8 hp for every 1 hp of mechanical energy that comes out of the shaft of a compressed air-powered device. They also don't realize that a poorly functioning compressed air system can be wasting more than half of the energy consumed by this expensive utility. Once system operators and compressed air users understand this message, they'll be more likely to better manage their systems.
How well does training work? A study commissioned by the Compressed Air Challenge (CAC) a few years ago questioned hundreds of individuals who had participated in CAC’s one-day fundamentals training and found that 75% reported using the knowledge they had gained to implement efficiency projects in their plants. These projects saved participants' companies significant amounts of money. The organization that conducted the study estimated that training attendees saved on average about $7,400 per year in electrical costs.
In addition, attendees reported that other nonelectrical improvements, such as reduced production downtime, improved compressed air quality, and better and more consistent compressed air pressure, were common. About two-thirds of the participants reported using the newfound knowledge to diagnose and solve problems they saw in their own system or in systems owned by their customers.
Knowledge is powerful! I know that training works because I conduct many training sessions per year. During almost every training, I receive feedback about how amazed the participants are to realize just how poorly their own systems are running. And I see the results in the field. The results of taking action on this newly learned information can be amazing – so much so that many local power utilities find that compressed air optimization is one of the most valuable components of their energy efficiency programs. This segment of industrial energy consumption is so full of potential that many people, including myself, have built successful careers in helping train compressed air users and assist them in fixing their systems.
What are you waiting for? Sign up for some compressed air training today!
More information about the training study is here: http://www.compressedairchallenge.org/data/sites/1/media/library/evaluation/Evaluation.pdf
Check out http://www.compressedairchallenge.org/training to find more information on some excellent training.
Ron Marshall is a compressed air energy efficiency expert and a compressed air trainer with website at www.compressedairaudit.com
Join Ron at the Compressed Air Efficiency LinkedIn discussion group at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12065406
