Posted to News on 8th Apr 2013, 11:59
Online Saving Assessments tools help improve energy efficiency
SMC is promoting its Energy Saving pneumatic components and Saving Assessment Tools, which can help machine builders create significantly more energy-efficient machines, and can also support end users seeking to reduce the consumption of compressed air and, therefore, energy costs
By 2020, the European Council has set some ambitious targets for energy saving. It has pledged to save 20 per cent of the EU's total energy consumption, reach 20 per cent of renewable energy in the total consumption in the EU and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 20 per cent. With governments throughout Europe putting increasing pressure on manufacturers to help deliver the Union's 20:20:20 targets, industries will be forced to implement national and international policies that focus on reducing GHG emissions, in order to meet their environmental responsibilities.
For EU industry, where over 70 per cent of manufacturers use a compressed air system and generate as much as 55 million tons of CO2 every year, there is a real opportunity for companies to sharpen up their environmental practices and reduce energy costs, which can account for 20 per cent of a factory's entire energy bill.
Although one of the main energy sources used by industry, compressed air is often misused and many operators are unaware of the potential saving opportunities, both financial and environmental, that well-managed systems can deliver.
SMC appreciates the benefits of compressed air. Air is an unlimited, natural resource, it is safe as well as being simple to regulate and control. Its advantages as an energy resource are numerous; however, even though air is free, compressed air is not - it comes at a cost.
Through SMC's experience in the energy saving field, the company's collective data speaks for itself: as much as 50 per cent of the energy consumed can be easily saved. This comprises 20 per cent being saved from air leakage monitoring and control and 30 per cent from optimisation, which includes working with the right pressure, sectorisation or using energy efficient components.
SMC 's Energy Saving components feature the air amplifier, energy efficient air blow guns, nozzles, actuators or the multi-stage vacuum ejector, all of which provide significant savings both financially and environmentally. And the efficiency of these savings can be measured through SMC's online Saving Assessment Tools.
Designed to be easy to use, the Saving Assessment Tools combined with SMC's energy efficient components means the numbers still stack up in favour of compressed air systems, while helping customers to meet their environmental targets, and in turn, deliver on the EU's commitments. To view SMC's Saving Assessments tools please visit the "Products' section of their website, www.smcpneumatics.co.uk.
