--- title: "Compressed air: a more precious resource than it may seem" date: 2024-05-08T13:36:00-04:00 author: jessica napert canonical_url: "https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/publications/compressed-air-a-more-precious-resource-than-it-may-seem" section: Publications --- When you were young, your parents probably said this to you in the wintertime: “Close the door. We're not heating the neighbourhood!” Even if you disliked this comment, it still made common sense. You might not have seen the wasted energy and money, but it was very real. The same applies to compressed air. You may think that air is free, but that's far from being true, as this blog article will demonstrate. 1. Small leak, big consequences Compressed air has two main characteristics: pressure (e.g., 100 psi, or 690 kPa) and dew point (e.g., -40°C). For example, let's take the typical compressed air found in most industrial facilities. A compressor will consume between 0.12 and 0.20 kW to produce one standard cubic foot per minute (SCFM) of air. This may not seem like much. However, imagine a leak the size of a grain of rice on a line; it could consume up to 5 SCFM. If we take a system that’s under constant pressure (24 hours a day), this same leak would consume up to 8,760 kWh a year! If we add the air handling fee (a dryer can consume up to 15% of the air used to lower the dew point), we get almost 10,000 kWh. Now, let's look at two scenarios. Take a grid-connected plant, where the average kilowatt-hour is $0.05, and another plant in a northern environment that generates its own electricity at an average cost of $0.30 per kilowatt-hour. Our tiny leak will cost the first plant $500 a year and the second $3,525! When BBA team members performed audits using ultrasonic equipment, they detected leaks totalling hundreds of SCFMs at our client sites in the last year alone. We're talking about one or two days of work that led to tens of thousands of dollars in savings! In addition to the money saved, remember that every kilowatt-hour that isn’t consumed helps lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at client sites, where electrical energy is produced using generators. The leak at the second plant alone could save nearly 2,500 litres of diesel consumption. 2. Optimizing equipment Leaks aren’t the only aspect that could be harmful in compressed air systems. Unfortunately, production and handling equipment are often poorly sized or poorly operated. Sizing a new plant in design mode can sometimes be difficult. That’s why it’s essential to review equipment modulation and operation when the plant is running at steady state. For example, during an audit, we found that a compressor hardly ever produced while still being in “unload” mode. It totalled nearly 25,000 hours in “running” mode and only 1,375 hours in production. It should be noted that the “unload” mode of a compressor consumes less, but still nearly 20% of its rated power. This means that the compressor has been running almost 95% of the time for nothing. For a 50 hp compressor, we're talking about 186,500 kWh wasted or, in this case, $50,000. 3. [ ![BLOG JEREMIE COTE COMPRESSED AIR IMAGE CMS](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/BLOG_JEREMIE-COTE_COMPRESSED-AIR_IMAGE_CMS.png) ](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/BLOG_JEREMIE-COTE_COMPRESSED-AIR_IMAGE_CMS.png) 4. Using compressed air well Even if compressed air is produced, processed and conveyed in the right way, using it can sometimes be problematic. As mentioned above, this type of energy isn’t free. Only 10% to 20% of the energy used to compress air can be used afterward by expanding it. The rest is just heat being released. A common example of misuse is liquid agitation. Homemade agitators, with air-permeable pipes to let air through, are highly efficient for agitating liquids but are extremely energy-intensive. One such device used by one of our clients was replaced by a mechanical agitator with an electric motor, saving nearly $400,000 in energy costs. Furthermore, with the race to lower GHGs, it’ll be that much more important to monitor our energy consumption, which includes compressed air. The phrase “Close the door. We’re not heating the neighbourhood!” holds more truth than ever. 5. A proven track record BBA has an extensive project portfolio and a wealth of field experience in designing and optimizing compressed air systems. For more information, contact our team. This content is for general information purposes only. All rights reserved ©BBA 1. ![Jeremie Cote](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/206702/Jeremie-Cote.webp) Jérémie Côté, P.Eng. Senior Engineer, Management - Power Market Read bio [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/j%C3%A9r%C3%A9mie-c%C3%B4t%C3%A9-b336476a/) **With 10+ years of experience in the energy sector,** Jérémie helps strengthen the energy resilience of client sites and optimizes industrial settings through in-depth operational knowledge. **Key expertise** - Solving energy resilience problems for critical industrial sites - Optimizing energy use and reliability for isolated grids - SME expert in compressed air production, treatment and distribution systems - Member of the OIQ, CIEP **Major achievements**: Led and oversaw major energy transition studies using a strategic approach to help industrial sites implement energy efficiency solutions that integrate thermal and electrical systems. **Approach and added value**: Jérémie combines hands-on expertise and multidisciplinary technical skills to deliver practical, results-driven solutions to complex problems. - [ 27 Jul 2026 Mining and Metals Early tailings decisions shape long-term mine performance - ![Geraldine Cosset](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/206707/Geraldine-Cosset.webp) - ![Jared Purdy](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/212424/Jared-Purdy.webp) ](https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/insights/early-tailings-decisions-shape-long-term-mine-performance "Early tailings decisions shape long-term mine performance") - [ 02 Jul 2026 Mining and Metals Python: A key tool for data analysis in mineral processing - ![Charles Blais](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/211197/Charles-Blais.webp) - ![Juan Pablo Vergara](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/211266/Juan-Pablo-Vergara.webp) ](https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/insights/python-a-key-tool-for-data-analysis-in-mineral-processing "Python: A key tool for data analysis in mineral processing") - [ 19 Jun 2026 Mining and Metals Speed is earned early in projects - ![Mm employee men jean lheureux retouch web SQ LR BBA](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/204266/mm_employee_men_jean-lheureux_retouch_web_SQ_LR_BBA.webp) - ![Mm employee men benoit richard retouch web SQ LR BBA](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/203602/mm_employee_men_benoit-richard_retouch_web_SQ_LR_BBA.webp) ](https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/insights/speed-is-earned-early-in-projects "Speed is earned early in projects") - [ 17 Jun 2026 Industrial data platforms: building a solid foundation to optimize your operations - ![Pierre Boucher](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/avatars/_size_avatar/2671/Pierre-Boucher.webp) Pierre Boucher, P.Eng. Senior Engineer, Operational Technology and Infrastructure ](https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/insights/industrial-data-platforms-building-a-solid-foundation-to-optimize-your-operations "Industrial data platforms: building a solid foundation to optimize your operations") [ See all ](https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/insights "Go to Publications listing page") Let’s think it further together [ Contact us ](https://www.bbaconsultants.com/en-ca/contact) When you were young, your parents probably said this to you in the wintertime: “Close the door. We're not heating the neighbourhood!” Even if you disliked this comment, it still made common sense. You might not have seen the wasted energy and money, but it was very real. The same applies to compressed air. You may think that air is free, but that's far from being true, as this blog article will demonstrate. 1. Small leak, big consequences Compressed air has two main characteristics: pressure (e.g., 100 psi, or 690 kPa) and dew point (e.g., -40°C). For example, let's take the typical compressed air found in most industrial facilities. A compressor will consume between 0.12 and 0.20 kW to produce one standard cubic foot per minute (SCFM) of air. This may not seem like much. However, imagine a leak the size of a grain of rice on a line; it could consume up to 5 SCFM. If we take a system that’s under constant pressure (24 hours a day), this same leak would consume up to 8,760 kWh a year! If we add the air handling fee (a dryer can consume up to 15% of the air used to lower the dew point), we get almost 10,000 kWh. Now, let's look at two scenarios. Take a grid-connected plant, where the average kilowatt-hour is $0.05, and another plant in a northern environment that generates its own electricity at an average cost of $0.30 per kilowatt-hour. Our tiny leak will cost the first plant $500 a year and the second $3,525! When BBA team members performed audits using ultrasonic equipment, they detected leaks totalling hundreds of SCFMs at our client sites in the last year alone. We're talking about one or two days of work that led to tens of thousands of dollars in savings! In addition to the money saved, remember that every kilowatt-hour that isn’t consumed helps lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at client sites, where electrical energy is produced using generators. The leak at the second plant alone could save nearly 2,500 litres of diesel consumption. 2. Optimizing equipment Leaks aren’t the only aspect that could be harmful in compressed air systems. Unfortunately, production and handling equipment are often poorly sized or poorly operated. Sizing a new plant in design mode can sometimes be difficult. That’s why it’s essential to review equipment modulation and operation when the plant is running at steady state. For example, during an audit, we found that a compressor hardly ever produced while still being in “unload” mode. It totalled nearly 25,000 hours in “running” mode and only 1,375 hours in production. It should be noted that the “unload” mode of a compressor consumes less, but still nearly 20% of its rated power. This means that the compressor has been running almost 95% of the time for nothing. For a 50 hp compressor, we're talking about 186,500 kWh wasted or, in this case, $50,000. 3. [ ![BLOG JEREMIE COTE COMPRESSED AIR IMAGE CMS](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/BLOG_JEREMIE-COTE_COMPRESSED-AIR_IMAGE_CMS.png) ](https://www.assets.bbaconsultants.com/bba-production-assets/production/images/BLOG_JEREMIE-COTE_COMPRESSED-AIR_IMAGE_CMS.png) 4. Using compressed air well Even if compressed air is produced, processed and conveyed in the right way, using it can sometimes be problematic. As mentioned above, this type of energy isn’t free. Only 10% to 20% of the energy used to compress air can be used afterward by expanding it. The rest is just heat being released. A common example of misuse is liquid agitation. Homemade agitators, with air-permeable pipes to let air through, are highly efficient for agitating liquids but are extremely energy-intensive. One such device used by one of our clients was replaced by a mechanical agitator with an electric motor, saving nearly $400,000 in energy costs. Furthermore, with the race to lower GHGs, it’ll be that much more important to monitor our energy consumption, which includes compressed air. The phrase “Close the door. We’re not heating the neighbourhood!” holds more truth than ever. 5. A proven track record BBA has an extensive project portfolio and a wealth of field experience in designing and optimizing compressed air systems. For more information, contact our team. This content is for general information purposes only. All rights reserved ©BBA