Compressed air
Compressed air is one of the most expensive utilities to make, so we measure both the air itself and the cost behind it.
1 · What we measure
| Reading | Unit | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | m³/h, Nm³/h | How much air is being used. The basis of demand and leak detection. |
| Pressure | bar | System pressure, where even a small leak wastes a lot of energy. |
| Cost | via kW | The cost of the air is the electricity its compressor draws, measured by the Nova meter. |
Compressed air is generated on site, and almost all of what it costs is the electricity the compressor draws to make it, which is why it is often the most expensive utility in a plant for the useful work it does. Measuring the air flow on its own tells you how much you used; measuring it alongside the compressor’s electricity tells you what that air actually cost, and whether the compressor is working harder than the demand justifies.
The flow pattern is also the most reliable way to find leaks. Air that keeps moving when production has stopped is being lost through the system rather than used, and a pressure that will not hold points to the same thing. Both show up in Triggers and alerts, and at full resolution in Technical analysis.
2 · How it's measured
Flow and pressure are read by sensors on the compressed-air line, reporting at an interval set by the device, from minutes to hours depending on its technology and power. The cost of the air is the electricity its compressor draws, measured by the Nova meter, so the two can be set side by side: how much air you used, and what it cost to make.
The flow sensor fits on the air line, and the compressor’s electricity is already read by the Nova meter, so both sides can be seen without changing the compressor itself.
3 · Hardware
The devices behind it:
- Pulse sensor, counts the pulses from a flow meter on the air line.
- Nova meter, measures the electricity the compressor draws, which is what the air costs.
4 · Reports it feeds
Compressed air is measured like any other utility, with one difference: there’s no separate air bill, because what it costs you is the electricity its compressor draws. So it runs through the measurement and analysis reports, with its cost coming through electricity:
- Dashboard and Consumption breakdown, for flow and use at a glance and across the hierarchy.
- Technical analysis and Charting, for flow and pressure in detail and plotted against the compressor’s electricity.
- Data download, for the raw readings.
- Triggers & alerts, where an alert catches a pressure drop or a flow that stays high after hours.
- Cost breakdown, for the compressor’s electricity, which is what the air actually costs.
5 · Extracting the data
Every compressed-air reading is yours to take off the platform, three ways:
- API, to pull readings live into your own systems.
- AI-ready data & exports, a structured payload a model or agent can read directly.
- File export, the same readings as a plain file in the format you need.
6 · Common questions
Why is compressed air treated as so expensive?
Because you pay for it in electricity. The cost of compressed air is essentially the power the compressor draws to make it, so a small amount of wasted air represents a much larger amount of wasted electricity.
How is the cost of compressed air calculated?
By measuring the electricity the compressor draws on the Nova meter and setting it against the air flow produced. That gives a real cost per unit of air rather than an assumed figure, viewable in Cost breakdown.
Can you find compressed-air leaks?
The clearest sign is flow that stays high when production has stopped: air still moving with nothing using it is being lost. A trigger on after-hours flow, or on a pressure that won’t hold, surfaces it.
What’s the difference between m³/h and Nm³/h?
m³/h is the actual volume of air at line conditions; Nm³/h is that volume corrected to a normal reference temperature and pressure, so flows measured at different pressures can be compared on the same basis.