How to Calculate the Electrical Cost of an Air Compressor
- 1). You need to acquire two numbers from the motor of the compressor you are evaluating: the brake horsepower, and the motor's efficiency rating. The compressor salesman or motor manufacturer should easily be able to supply this information. Likewise, it should be printed on the motor's information decal or plate.
- 2). You also need to find out the cost of a kilowatt (Kw) of electricity from your local supplier. It is usually listed on your power bill, or you can call your utility company and ask. A cost of $.06 - $.10 per Kw is average.
- 3). Now, figure out how many hours you will run your compressor each year. For most of us, this is usually an educated guess.
- 4). Once you have acquired all the information, plug the numbers into the following formula:
HP x .746 x hours x Kw cost / motor efficiency - 5). Here's an example:
20 hp air compressor that runs 4 hours a day 2 days a week for a year with a $.09 Kw electric rate and a 90% efficient electric motor.
20 hp x .746 x 416 hours x $.09 / .90 = $620.67 per year - 6). You might be surprised by the results. In some cases, the cost of electricity over two years may exceed the purchase price of the compressor itself. You can now begin to understand why compressor efficiency is so important. Using the example above, let's assume we purchased a comparable compressor with a motor efficiency rating of 96%. We could save $38.79 per year in energy costs. Multiply that times the life of the compressor and it becomes obvious that paying an additional $200 to $300 for a more energy efficient compressor is a no-brainer.
- 7). Thank you for reading my article. If you found it helpful, please rate the article appropriately and recommend it to others (top of page).
