With a powerhouse full of compressors, your power company wakes up looking like the little boy pictured below; just thinking of the money it will make from you today.
How much does it cost to run those air compressors?
Compressed air is one of the most expensive uses of energy in a manufacturing plant. About eight horsepower of electricity is used to generate one horsepower of compressed air. Calculating the cost of compressed air can help you justify improvements for energy efficiency.
Cost per year To find the annual cost of electricity used to power a compressed air system, calculate the cost for running the system under loaded and unloaded conditions. For each, multiply:
horsepower (hp)
conversion factor 0.746 kW/hp
total operating hours per year (hr/yr)
cost per kilowatt-hour ($/kWh)
% time fully-loaded or unloaded
% full-load hp, loaded or unloaded
Divide the product by the motor’s efficiency.
Use the formula below for your calculations.
