Plant Utilities worked example

Compressed Air Leak Loss with compressor power serving leaks of 9 kW: a worked example

This worked example runs the compressed air leak loss numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: compressor power serving leaks of 9 kW instead of the typical 18 kW. Estimate the energy cost of compressed air leaks using compressor kW, leak runtime, electricity rate, and production volume.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Compressor power serving leaks: 9 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 18)
  • Leak operating hours: 720 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.11 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Production units made during leak period: 50,000 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total compressed air leak loss cost = compressor power serving leaks × leak operating hours × blended electricity rate.
  • Total compressed air leak loss cost works out to 713 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Compressed Air Leak Loss energy used works out to 6,480 kWh at these inputs.
  • Cost per production unit works out to 0.01 $ / unit at these inputs.
  • Hourly compressed air leak loss cost works out to 0.99 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where compressor power serving leaks sits at 18 kW and the headline result is 1,426 $, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 713 $.
  • Use it after an ultrasonic leak survey, when justifying a leak-repair program, or to track leak loss period over period. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total compressed air leak loss cost: 713 $ (headline result)
  • Compressed Air Leak Loss energy used: 6,480 kWh
  • Cost per production unit: 0.01 $ / unit
  • Hourly compressed air leak loss cost: 0.99 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Compressed Air Leak Loss calculator, set compressor power serving leaks to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.