Enlightening Discussion of Laundry Lighting

The greatest variable expense in a coin laundry is its utility costs. The more business a laundry does, the greater the bills for gas, water and electric -service are likely to be. So in a way, we want our utility costs to be high because that means we''re doing more business. Yet, we have to do every thing possible to make our utility use as efficient as possible in order to avoid waste. Wasting utilities means that we are wasting money. Our own money! Being a laundry professional doesn''t mean we have a special degree in laundry operation, or unique special training (although many of us have been to some training seminars put on by the CLA or factory). It means we are applying brain power and using common sense to solve problems to keep more of the money we make. One of the surest ways to stay profitable is to save money, not waste it. Review your utility bills and have an idea of not only what you are charged for, but also how the charges are figured. Compare the bills with daily and monthly income. Real laundry pros can read their meters to predict about how much money should be in their collections. About one third of electrical costs go toward lighting the laundry premises. The rest is for operating equipment. There''s not many ways to save on the actual operational costs of the washers and dryers we already have. We could buy new ones, but that''s another topic. But, there usually are thoughtful ways to reduce the costs for lighting. If one were to leave off all of the lights, all of the time, their utility bill would be reduced by one third, but they wouldn''t have any business and prospects for success would be pretty dim (no pun intended). We need to know that there is another way. A coat of white paint almost always is a money saver in a vended laundry operation. Those that have dark paneling and old paint on the walls are harder to keep appearing bright during the day except by keeping the ceiling lights on. Freshly painted, light colored walls reflect light and allow at least a portion of the ceiling lights to be turned off during normal daylight hours. If a laundry''s lighting is controlled with timers, it should be more efficient. For example, during daylight hours, having a bright white back wall allows the rear interior lights to keep the back bright and cheerful while using only natural light to illuminate the front. The more natural light a laundry can take advantage of, the lower the lighting bill. In the example, a coat of new paint coupled with dividing the ceiling lights into sections that are controlled by separate timers, could allow less than half the fluorescent tubes to burn during daylight business hours. That could reduce the electric bill by one sixth, or more. If a laundry''s lighting system has been in place for a number of years, chances are that it will not be nearly as efficient as those being installed today. Even the fluorescent tubes, and the fixture''s ballasts, if they are a few years old, are highly inefficient compared with the energy saving tubes and ballasts being sold on the market today. In order to lower lighting costs, it might be a good idea to check out your fixtures and the fluorescent tubes. While you''re up there on the ladder, take some rags and spray cleanser to clean the fixtures so they will reflect all of the light you''re paying for. You look at your laundry every day, and so you might not notice buildup that accumulates on the fixtures. That causes the lights to be filtered and therefore less efficient. All of that costs you money. When you need to replace your fluorescent tubes, don''t just buy the cheap ones. They''ll cost more in the long run. Buy the most efficient ones available and save money. Talk with someone in the lighting department about which is the best choice. The pennies more you may pay for the best will save you dollars by lasting longer and by burning less energy.