Check that compressed air systems are operated at the minimum required air pressure.

Process area: Compressed Air
Payback: 12-18 months payback
Complexity: 3/5
Adoption: 40%
Avg. save: €6,010-12,000
CAPEX: No

Action overview

It is tempting to run compressed air systems at an excessive pressure due to concerns over improperly functioning equipment if insufficient pressure is delivered to the point of use, which can be costly.

Tips & advice

There are a number of issues which could cause pressure to be higher than required. These include:

• Poor piping and distribution configuration
• Lack of maintenance, or changing of filters
• Artificial demand such as leaks or unregulated uses
• Air storage not functioning correctly
• Lack of systems integration or systems controls.

As a rule of thumb, a 1 bar decrease in system pressure will decrease energy consumption by 7%. Also, note that higher pressure increases the impact of unregulated air flows (e.g., leaks), thus amplifying the efficiency losses of running the system at an excessive pressure.

Make pressure reductions in small increments to ensure no impairment of operational effectiveness. Remedial work to local machines may be required (distribution modifications, local boosters, etc.).