Atlas Copco VSD compressor realises major energy savings

Crossgrove Associates provides innovative packaging and design systems for a diverse range of UK businesses. When Atlas Copco Compressors' premier distributor Pennine Pneumatic Services (PPS) was called to service the company's original 37kW screw compressor, which was supplying the 22,000sq ft production plant, it found that the unit capacity was greater than necessary and there was potential for significant cost savings by replacing it with a new energy-efficient Atlas Copco VSD compressor.

To demonstrate the potential benefits, PPS carried out a data logging survey and simulation exercise on the compressor installation and offered the company a 1-month free trial with the installation of a new GA11VSD+FF variable speed drive compressor. The trial established that with the new Atlas Copco compressor, annual running costs would be just 770, even lower than originally predicted, representing a saving of 5680.

At the same time, PPS put Crossgrove Associates' Director, Marc Auty, in touch with Kirklees Council which was offering eligible businesses up to 5000 (up to a maximum of 50 per cent) towards capital purchases that provided energy savings and reduce a company's environmental impact. The council representative carried out an energy and environmental impact audit at the plant and confirmed that the company would qualify for the grant.

Dave Jones, Area Sales Manager at PPS comments: "Because the old compressor was so inefficient in its electricity usage, the new Atlas Copco variable speed drive compressor offered a significant reduction in running costs. With the additional benefit of the Kirklees Council grant, the final payback is reduced further, to just seven months. What's more, the customer was also impressed by the small footprint of the new compressor, which takes up much less space than the old one."

The savings achieved by Crossgrove Associates' demonstrate how compressed air users are taking advantage of energy and cost-saving recommendations and systems offered by Atlas Copco's UK distributor network.

As Marc Auty confirms: "When the idea of a new machine came up, I thought it was a sales pitch - trying to talk me into something I didn't really need. The key was when PPS offered to put a machine in free of charge to prove the statistics. I thought, you've got to be pretty confident to do that.

"From a financial point of view, cash is tight in any business at the moment, but getting 50 per cent of the costs paid by Kirklees Council was a big factor. It was a great idea for PPS to have the relevant contact details with him when he came. It was almost pre-packaged for me; it made my job as simple as possible. When you bear in mind that we were going to get half the new compressor paid for, plus we knew from the monitoring exercise that it was going to save us a fortune in electricity, it was a no brainer."

To learn more about the energy-efficient GA11VSD+FF variable speed drive compressor from Atlas Copco please visit www.atlascopco.co.uk.