Compressed-air audit business expansion

Despite some sectors of the economy showing signs of slowing down, there is a continuing drive by industry to reduce energy costs. This has enabled the Energy Efficiency Services (EES) division of Compressed Air and Power Solutions (CAPS) Australia to expand its range of services and increase the number of staff available to carry out the numerous compressed-air energy audits it conducts each year.

Investing more than $150,000 in its growth, EES has pursued an aggressive expansion strategy to fit the needs of compressed-air users that are looking for an independent approach to analysis of their energy use. “With compressed air being responsible for 10 to 15% of industrial electricity use Australia wide, an air audit can reveal surprising opportunities to reduce energy consumption and overall business costs,” said Quentin St Baker, National Manager, Energy Efficiency Services.

“We identified that there was a pressing need for a flexible and dynamic audit system that allowed for comprehensive analysis of any compressed-air system, regardless of the manufacturer. From there we consulted with many compressed-air users to ensure that our solution was world class and represented best-practice principles.”

A major goal of business across most industry sectors is sustainability - a key factor of which is the minimisation of energy consumption and resource waste. Based on this industry brief, EES has devised a solution that it says could benefit many organisations. The company devised a custom-designed software suite and comprehensive air-audit hardware package, which was teamed with extensive training, and development of engineers and technicians nationwide to undertake audits. To assist in driving implementable recommendations, additional industry-leading experts were also employed to conduct the air audits, provide analysis and provide independent reports.

St Baker says there are still opportunities for companies to streamline processes to reduce energy consumption and costs. This has resulted in the growth of energy efficiency services and air audits.

“The carbon tax is just one factor that has changed the energy efficiency landscape. It is no longer people at the shop floor who are implementing ad hoc projects to improve efficiency,” St Baker said. “Today we are seeing senior management driving initiatives and asking what can be done to reduce energy costs.”