Laundry equipment manufacturers have made a variety of advancements to their machinery that is helping create a better, more user-friendly experience for the tenants. And not only that, these recent upgrades have led to simplified equipment maintenance and reduced utility bills for multi-residential building owners.
Washers with higher spin speeds
Upgrading older washing machines to contemporary, single-load models is an effective strategy for increasing energy efficiency in multi-res laundry rooms. It also makes laundry more convenient for tenants due to the increased capacity and higher spin speed built into many of these washers.
High spin speed (or G-force) extracts more water from clothing during the final spin compared to traditional washers, which helps tenants complete their laundry loads faster. It also reduces the workload of the dryer, thereby decreasing the machine’s energy consumption.
Dryers with larger capacities
Many of today’s single-load dryers have a larger capacity than older models, consequently reducing the number of loads needing to be dried. For increased energy efficiency, property owners should look for dryers that have high-performance airflow distribution systems that allow faster drying with less energy consumed, and adequate insulation and sealing to prevent air leakage.
It is also important to ensure that there is an effective dryer venting strategy in place, as poor venting leads to substandard performance and a significant energy waste. However, not all buildings are designed with dryer venting needs in mind. To address this problem, some manufacturers have engineered new technology for dryers that provide maximum venting performance and shorter drying times for installations with inadequate venting, therefore increasing energy efficiency.
This technology incorporates a blower that spins significantly faster than those in standard models, while not affecting the speed of the tumbler. The extra speed makes it possible for the dryers to be used in longer and more flexible vent installations, without sacrificing performance. These innovations also help reduce wear and tear on internal dryer parts.
Stacked washer-dryers
Selecting a washer-dryer pair with the features described above, but in a stacked configuration, allows the same energy-, water- and time-saving benefits in addition to doubling the space available in a facility. Stacked combinations occupy the same amount of floor space typically reserved for a single washer, and can be a great option for multi-housing laundry facilities where space is limited.
Programmable cycles
One way to simultaneously increase convenience for tenants and generate additional revenue for complex owners is with the programmable cycles found on some of today’s multi-housing washers. These allow apartment building owners and managers to program a set price for a specific amount of extended washer-use time. For example, a tenant could upgrade to a longer cycle option for an extra quarter and receive three additional minutes of tumbling action and an extra rinse. This allows them to get a deeper cleaning without the added cost of running the laundry through another entire cycle. And, for the building owner, the utility expense for this cycle extension is often a fraction of the upgrade cost, increasing profit. Other attributes that can be easily customized with programmable cycles to increase efficiency include water levels, water temperatures and spin time.
Multiple payment options for laundry facilities
Choosing washers and dryers that accept more than one type of payment can also improve the user’s laundry experience and increase revenue. For example, dual-drop coin slots are a popular feature in today’s multi-housing laundry facilities, as they allow the use of a larger variety of coins and are more programmable. With a dual-drop slot, apartment building owners and managers can attract more tenants to the laundry facility by programming discounts and other incentives for tenants who opt to do laundry during off-peak energy-use hours, when energy comes at a lower premium.
Some of today’s multi-housing laundry equipment is also able to process both coin and credit card payments.
Another option is to implement a laundry card payment system, where tenants can add money to their individual cards as needed. This saves tenants from the hassle of carrying pockets full of coins. And without the need for quarters, owners and managers can avoid hours of collecting, sorting and transporting heavy coins. By simply unlocking the cash-to-card transfer machine’s cabinet, removing a stack of bills and printing a receipt, they can collect the money in minutes instead of hours. The card system also can improve revenues by permitting smaller, more frequent vend increases, as well as tenant loyalty. In addition, these systems can reduce the theft incidents that can come with coin-operated machines.
Connectivity
In addition to developing helpful on-board laundry equipment technology, some commercial manufacturers include new web-based, wireless programs in their machines. These programs allow owners to manage their laundry facilities from a single wireless Internet portal, accessing it from a computer or mobile device whether they are at the building or away off-site.
The owner can receive information on money collection and analyze laundry usage patterns, remotely set up and modify vending prices to maximize profits, review cycle data and predict maintenance needs, and receive service code alerts that can be forwarded immediately to a service technician.
This programming allows apartment building owners more freedom and flexibility in the management of their laundry operations. It helps reduce any service downtime and allows owners to avoid hiring full-time staff for laundry room management, saving them money and headaches.
Steve Hietpas is a business development manager at Maytag Commercial Laundry.
