A new version of this article was first published on silvent.com
Compressed air cost $0.30 per 1000 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) including investment and maintenance costs. Wouldn’t it be good if it was simple as that? Unfortunately, it is not. A shoelace does not have to be a specific length to be called a shoelace and compressed air does not cost the same amount of money for all companies.
Companies often have knowledge about how much they pay for water and electricity. But few know how much they pay for compressed air. Some might not even consider that compressed air cost money since the company produces the compressed air with its own compressor. But it is not strange that few people know what compressed air costs, because there is no simple answer.
The cost depends on a lot of different parameters, which makes it hard to pinpoint a specific price. To calculate the specific cost, you must take the electricity agreement, maintenance cost, the compressor and the possibility to recycle the waste heat into consideration.
When we calculate the cost and savings for blowing with compressed air we use an estimated price of $0.30 per 1000 scfm. The price is based on specific conditions but can use as a good benchmark when comparing and calculating. To find out what your compressed air cost, you must make the calculations based on your own conditions.
By using a flowmeter, you can visualize the amount of compressed air being utilized at any time, this in turn can help determine the need for the installation of noise and waste reducing compressed air blow guns such as a Silvent Pro-One.
Find out more about blowing with compressed air nozzles