When a Remote Compressed Air Audit Reveals Big Savings | Doskee Automation

A Compressed Air Audit Without Leaving the Office

A few summers ago, the phone rang with an unusual project. A sawmill nearly 1,000 miles away needed a compressed air assessment, but an injured knee made flying impossible. Normally a job like this meant airports, hotels, and days spent hauling instruments through the plant. This time, the auditor would complete the assessment without ever visiting the site.

Compressed air audits depend on accurate measurements, and losing data can ruin an entire project. But new cell-connected monitoring technology offered a different solution. Working with a local compressed air service provider, wireless cloud-connected loggers were installed on site while everything was monitored remotely from the office.

A Simple System, Plenty of Problems

The system under study looked simple: a single 250-hp lubricated screw compressor, a wet tank, and a heated blower-style desiccant dryer. Fortunately, the plant already had a thermal mass flow meter installed — but the meter sat across a busy roadway, making traditional wired monitoring difficult. The wireless system eliminated that issue completely.

Before the data even arrived, clues appeared in smartphone photos sent from the plant. The compressor seemed to spend long periods running unloaded. Experienced auditors know that unloaded compressors waste huge amounts of electricity while producing very little useful air.

Live Data Reveals the Real Problems

Once the live data began flowing, the real issues became obvious. Production stopped at 3:30 p.m., yet the compressor kept running until 2:00 a.m. It restarted again at 4:30 a.m., spending hours running inefficiently at very low demand. The system also showed excessive dryer operation, high pressure drop across filters, and evidence of fouled components restricting airflow.

Without leaving the office, several major savings opportunities were identified: replace the single large compressor with two smaller units — including a variable speed drive compressor better suited to fluctuating demand — plus lower the pressure, repair leaks, improve ventilation, replace fouled filters, and optimize the dryer controls.

What the Customer Valued Most

What impressed the customer most was not only the amount of wasted energy uncovered, but the fact that the entire assessment had been completed remotely — no flights, no hotel stays, no lost travel days, and lower fees.

The project proved that connected monitoring systems are transforming compressed air auditing. Even from hundreds or thousands of miles away, auditors can now uncover inefficiencies quickly, provide immediate recommendations, and help customers save significant energy costs. And once again the data confirmed a lesson learned years earlier: when you carefully measure a compressed air system, you nearly always find opportunities for improvement.

Doskee Automation specializes in industrial automation and compressed air system components, offering selection and sourcing support for flow meters, pressure sensors, filters, dryers, and compressor accessories. If you want to understand your air system’s energy baseline or carry out an efficiency assessment, please contact us for guidance on monitoring and retrofit solutions.

Reference: Adapted from PneumaticTips “When a remote compressed air audit reveals big savings” by Ron Marshall (2026-07-30)