Ways to Save on Energy Costs

By Peter Marsh, Managing Director of Girbau UK Laundry Equipment

To ensure plentiful supplies of clean, fresh bedding, towels and clothes for residents, every care home needs to run an efficient laundry. The laundry also needs to be hygienically clean and in a care environment that is likely to mean high temperature washes for thorough decontamination. With large quantities of laundry that need cleaning on a daily basis, energy costs threaten to take an escalating share of operational budgets. So, what can you do to combat high energy costs without compromising the cleaning and hygiene of your washing?

1) Replace ageing equipment
Investing in new laundry equipment could be the answer. Some of the latest equipment is far more energy efficient than older models, offering superior performance and reduced running costs.
As we all become more environmentally conscious, energy efficiency, reduced carbon emissions and the controlled use of water are also increasingly important factors when choosing the best laundry equipment. The latest washers improve in all these areas, so make sure you ask about energy and water consumption. It can be a false economy to buy cheaper washers and dryers. They could be less energy efficient and in heavy use they often also turn out to be less reliable.

2) High Speed Extraction
High-speed washer-extractors save both time and money, making the laundry more productive and reducing overall energy consumption. The latest high-speed machines can process more washing per hour, and clothes washed in them will typically dry in 25 to 30 minutes because of lower water retention. As well as being more productive, high speed washers use less energy than conventional washers and further reduce total energy consumption by reducing drying times.
Some of the latest, computer-controlled high speed washer extractors have a greater range of programmes to ensure that they can deal effectively with any fabric that will be encountered in a care home environment. Cotton sheets are ideal for washing with high-speed extraction, but linen tends to wrinkle when extracted quickly, and delicate clothing may require special programmes.

3) Ozone Laundry System
Ozone washing systems work effectively with cold water, significantly reducing energy consumption per machine. Shorter wash cycles mean less water is used, speeding up drying times and increasing the life of the linen. The finished laundry is also brighter and fluffier. Low temperature washes can still give guaranteed disinfection, as ozone is one of the most powerful disinfectants known and proven to be effective against bacteria like MRSA and the resilient spores of C-diff.
“Today with energy prices so high, every laundry should be looking at the energy and money savings that can be achieved using ozone washing systems,” says Richard Neale, Director of the Laundry Technology Centre (LTC).
An ozone washing system can be fitted to new or existing washers and offer savings of between 30-50% in electricity consumption, 40-60% in hot water and 10-30% in detergent. An ozone-equipped laundry can also provide indirect savings of 25-35% in gas consumption; upwards from 25% in labour costs and 20-30% by prolonging the life of linens.

4) Efficient drying
Drying is an equally important part of the laundry operation. The latest tumble dryers are designed to deliver energy efficiency, high productivity, quick drying and low maintenance and commercial dryers offer load capacities from 10kg up to around 70kg. For most care homes, dryers heated by gas rather than electricity will offer the best drying and energy efficiency performance. The latest dryers feature advanced airflow systems to cut drying times and reduce fabric wear. Other features to look out for include a robust belt drive system that will assure years of quiet, trouble-free use. Easily accessible components and a high-capacity lint compartment will also make your dyers easier to maintain.

5) Ancillary equipment
Even a small ironer is likely to increase the operational efficiency of a care home laundry by dramatically reducing the time required for laborious hand-ironing tasks – especially for bedding. An ironer can quickly pay for itself by increasing throughput and reducing labour hours.

6) Servicing and maintenance
It also pays to consider planned maintenance programmes and repair services when procuring new equipment, as reliable operation is essential for most care home laundries. Regular maintenance will also ensure your equipment is running efficiently.
If future expansion of the care home is anticipated, it will also make sense to plan excess capacity into your laundry to cope with increased volumes. Although larger capacity machines are more energy and water efficient, it often pays to buy two smaller capacity machines. If one breaks down you still have at least one machine until the breakdown is repaired. This choice can also give you greater flexibility to run different washes at the same time in separate machines.

For more advice contact 0844 391 0395,
e-mail: sales@girbau.co.uk or visit www.girbau.co.uk