Operations
How to have greener, cleaner laundry and cheaper energy bills
Peter Hosking, managing director of laundry equipment supplier of WASHCO, explains how choosing the right washing machines can reduce care home energy bills while improving green credentials
Are you hoping to run a more sustainable care home, including reducing your home’s energy consumption to improve your green credentials and manage the rise in utility bills? One area which you might want to consider is your laundry, especially if you are considering investing in new equipment. If you want to take a more sustainable approach in this area, there is lots to consider from the carbon footprint involved in the manufacture of the equipment through to energy usage and waste reduction. As with many areas of sustainability, there is no easy answer. However, there are steps you can take to reduce environmental impact whilst also saving money.
Will a new machine be more environmental?
When taking a sustainable approach to new equipment, the first question which might spring to mind is whether investing in new equipment is the right thing to do. Will the new machine reduce energy consumption? If you are buying a newer model, with the same energy source as your current equipment then it is likely to be more energy efficient, benefiting from improvements in technology. When Primus launched the FX80, for example, their tests
showed a significant energy savings versus its predecessor, the FS7. The total litres of water and energy used were both nearly 30 per cent less. Another alternative is to switch to heat
pump dryers, which can give a significant reduction in energy consumption. This is possible because the system uses heat recovery. Heat pump dryers work by heating the air in the drum, which is then filtered and partially cooled. The water from the laundry is collected while the dryer reuses the remaining heat left in the drum, making it more efficient. This leads to their second key advantage, namely no requirement for vent ducting. However, if you choose this route, there is a higher initial investment versus traditional dryers. They can cost around
Choosing the right size of machine can be difficult but there is a rule of thumb that you can use. Typically, you will need 0.5kg capacity per resident in your home
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three times more. However, Miele calculates that you would see a return on that additional cost in the first year, due to the reduction in energy costs. This technology is not without its challenges. The dryers require a drain for the water which is collected, and the equipment needs rigorous cleaning so that the condense pipes remain free. The main challenge is that, versus a gas-powered dryer, they take longer to reach the required temperature plus they run at lower temperatures (55°C vs 77°C). This means longer cycle times reducing operational efficiency.
With most new builds switching to heat
pump dryers, there is a requirement for the technology to improve, allowing for the environmental benefits without the requirements for operational compromises.
Can I just compare energy labels? When buying domestic laundry equipment, all machines have an energy rating label designed to allow consumers to compare and choose the most efficient model. This
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com February 2022
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