When most manufacturers think about energy efficiency, compressed air systems aren’t always top of mind. Yet, as Atlas Machine & Supply’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Service, Andy Poplin, emphasized during his recent presentation at the Compressed Air Best Practices Expo in Kansas City, these systems contain significant hidden potential for energy recovery and cost reduction.
Industrial air compressors convert roughly 8 horsepower of electricity to deliver 1 horsepower of work, meaning that nearly 90% of the input energy is lost as heat. Instead of venting that energy into the atmosphere, heat recovery systems capture and repurpose it - reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and operational costs.
For a 100 HP rotary screw compressor, for example, approximately 270,000 BTUH can be recovered - enough to offset around $3,000 per month in natural gas costs under typical operating conditions.
Atlas Compressed Air’s engineered systems approach allows integration of heat recovery into both air-cooled and water-cooled compressor configurations:
Air-cooled compressors: Exhaust air can be redirected indoors during colder months to provide facility heating or expelled outdoors during warmer periods to maintain climate control.
Water-cooled compressors: Closed-loop systems can heat water or other fluids up to 165°F, providing hot water for process use, sanitation, or preheating applications.
These systems often achieve recovery rates of up to 85% of total waste heat energy, yielding payback periods commonly under two years depending on energy costs and site conditions.
The benefits of heat recovery extend well beyond the compressor room. Heat energy captured from compressors or dryers can serve numerous roles across industries:
Food & Beverage: Pasteurization, cleaning, and sterilization processes.
Pharmaceuticals: Maintaining fermentation and sterilization temperatures in CIP/SIP systems.
Automotive: Heating paint booths, degreasing tanks, and process ovens.
Pulp & Paper: Preheating digesters and supplementing process water.
Textiles and Chemicals: Heating process water up to 190°F for coloring or chemical treatment.
In each case, recycled thermal energy directly reduces fuel requirements and enhances overall system efficiency - key advantages for facilities facing rising energy costs and sustainability mandates.
Despite clear benefits, many plants still overlook waste heat recovery opportunities. As Poplin pointed out, common challenges include high initial investment, limited awareness, and a short-term ROI mindset. Yet, with proper design and system integration, many of these barriers can be overcome.
Atlas Compressed Air’s engineered approach prioritizes system-level performance rather than piecemeal upgrades - ensuring that solutions address the entire compressed air ecosystem, not just individual components.
At Atlas Machine & Supply, energy recovery isn’t treated as an add-on - it’s an integral part of our engineered systems philosophy. By analyzing airflow, temperature, and energy balance across an entire facility, Atlas Compressed Air designs and implements recovery systems that yield both operational and environmental dividends.
From reducing gas consumption and carbon emissions to improving temperature stability in production areas, heat recovery exemplifies the kind of smart efficiency that defines Atlas Compressed Air’s commitment to sustainable industrial performance.
Contact the Atlas Compressed Air team to schedule an assessment or learn more about engineered energy recovery solutions.
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