Compressed air is a widely used application in many industries, but it also is one of the most expensive sources of energy in your facility. Only 10% to 20% of the energy required to generate compressed air ever reaches the point of use, while the remaining energy is wasted in the form of heat. Using a blower system instead of compressed air can result in significant energy savings.
Energy savings
Blower-operated systems, particularly for continuous flow applications, are almost always the more energy-efficient choice. Some blower installations can reduce energy costs up to 80% over previous compressed air systems. When used for the right application, blower-based systems often have a return on investment of less than one year due to significant energy savings.
Applications
Use blowers instead of compressed air to provide cooling, aspirating, agitating and mixing, or to inflate packaging. Other applications include adding fans to cool electrical cabinets instead of compressed air vortex tubes.
Maintenance
Both air compressors and blowers need regular maintenance to ensure proper performance. Direct-drive blowers have less maintenance than traditional belt-drive blowers; there are no belts to break, which translates to less downtime and lower maintenance costs. The use of a variable frequency drive on a blower allows the blower to operate more efficiently and can dramatically reduce energy consumption.
Incentives
Focus on Energy offers a financial incentive of $200 per compressor horsepower shifted with blower replacement technology. This incentive is limited to 50% of the project cost, including equipment and external labor.
Summary
Request to be contacted by an energy advisor. Our engineers have tools to evaluate your system and are experts in calculating potential savings for your bottom line.