Industrial sector wasting £110m a year on energy bills

Inefficient air compressors are costing the industrial sector £110 million a year in energy bills, according to the Carbon Trust.

Compressors consume approximately 10% of the electricity in the industry, but many leak or are in a bad state of disrepair.

The news comes after a recent research from npower which found that medium-sized businesses see energy as a greater area of risk for their business than cash flow, legislation and security.

 

Richard Rugg, Director of Carbon Trust Programmes, said. "Just a single three millimetre hole in a compressed air system creates a leak, which can cost a business an additional £1,000 a year in electricity costs."

Used extensively in industrial businesses from anything from building aircraft to treating water, many people believe compressed air is a free commodity.

The Carbon Trust has now released up-to-date guidance on how to save energy  on air compressors and therefore money.

Compressed air is air kept under a certain pressure, which in most cases is higher than that of the atmosphere and is considered as the fourth utility thought more expensive than the first three.