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October 2012
Savings Potential
Water savings can be achieved through retrofitting existing laundry equipment to
recycle wash water or reduce the amount of water required for rinsing, or by repla-
cing existing laundry equipment with more efficient equipment. To estimate facility-
specific water savings and payback, use the following information.
Coin- or Card-OperatedWasher or Multi-LoadWasher Retrofit
Use the following information to estimate water savings and payback potential that
may be achieved with recycling or ozone retrofits. Water savings can vary based
upon the water use and use patterns of the existing laundry equipment and the type
of retrofit selected.
Current Water Use
To estimate the current water use from a commercial coin- or card-operated washer
or multi-load washer, identify the following information and use Equation 3-9:
••
Washer’s water factor in gallons per cycle per cubic foot of capacity. Coin- or
card-operated washers installed since the early 1990s will have a water factor of
9.5
gallons per cycle per cubic foot of capacity or less.
••
Capacity of the washer.
••
Average number of cycles per load. The number of cycles refers to the number of
times the washer is filled with water. There may be one or two wash cycles and
one or two rinse cycles in typical coin- or card-operated washers or multi-load
washers.
••
Average number of loads per year.
Equation 3-9. Water Use of Commercial Coin- or Card-OperatedWasher or
Multi-LoadWasher (gallons per year)
=Water Factor xWasher Capacity x Number of Cycles x Number of Loads
Where:
••
Water Factor (gallons per cycle per cubic foot capacity)
••
Washer Capacity (cubic feet of capacity)
••
Number of Cycles (cycles per load)
••
Number of Loads (loads per year)
Water Savings
Studies have documented water savings for retrofits with a simple recycling system,
retrofits with a complex recycling system, and ozone system retrofits. To estimate
3.6
Laundry Equipment
