It surprised me recently to learn that compressed air is one of the biggest opportunities for energy savings in manufacturing facilities. My friends at Owens Corning tell me 10 percent of the total energy cost for their insulating business is used for compressed air. Sixty to eighty percent of the electricity used to compress air is lost in the generation of heat. Only 10 percent of the electricity used to make compressed air is actually delivered to the point of use due to losses in air treatment, distribution and misuse. Energy, utility and maintenance leaders from several Owens Corning plants recently gathered at one of the company's facilities to learn ways to save energy and they are now establishing action plans at their facilities to put best practices to use. Do you have an opportunity to save energy by managing the use of compressed air? Online resources are available at the University of Minnesota, the US Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program, and Flex Your Power.