Originally posted – Dec issue/2012
Wisconsin Laundry Owner Keeps Utility Costs Down with Programmable, Internet-Controlled Thermostats
Keeping an eye on our utility costs has been important to me from the very beginning. It’s no secret that utilities represent a huge portion of the total cost of running a laundry business; therefore, I wanted my store to be as efficient as possible, which in turn would translate into lower operating costs.
I opened my laundromat in 2009 – in a 3,400-square-foot section of a 9,000-square-foot building that I own. I also have three tenants in this facility – a box company in the basement, a furniture refinisher on the main level with the laundry, and a computer repair business on the upper floor.
However, as of September 30, my utilities – as a percentage of my gross sales – were only 14.4 percent. This includes the water and sewer costs for all three tenants, as well as the laundry; additionally, I pay the heating bill for the adjacent rental space on the same floor as my laundromat.
That’s not too bad for a coin laundry way up north in Milwaukee.
Control Your Thermostats
In addition to my energy-efficient washers and dryers, programmable Internet-controlled thermostats also play a big role in keeping that percent low.
I got the idea to use Internet thermostats at the laundromat from my brother-in-law, who installed them in a vacation home he had built just prior to my wife, Janet, and I opening up our store. He had been looking for a way to control the temperature remotely from his main home.
The technology worked so well in a residential setting that I decided to give it a try in a commercial setting at my store.
The thermostats can be programmed or changed every day. Moreover, they can be operated remotely from any part of the world that has Internet access. If a tenant calls up and says it’s too cold, I can go onto my computer and instantly turn up the heat. I can be at the Arctic Circle, and as long as I can get to a laptop, I can adjust the temperature in my building.
In the spring and fall, when we have cool nights and warmer days, I will set the schedule to reflect that – I’ll program the air/heat to turn on later (or not at all) and to turn off earlier as the temperature falls. What’s more, I do the lion’s share of my business at night, so even in the winter I can sometimes leave the furnace off, because there is ample heat from the dryers as they run.
If I view my surveillance cameras and see a lot of customers in the store, I know I’m generating a lot of heat in there, so I’ll simply turn off the heat, because I don’t want to cook those people right out the door. It can get way too hot in there, and it helps that I don’t have to physically go to the store just to change the temperature setting.
Through the Internet, I can regulate the temperature, the HVAC system and the speed of my fans. I have four temperature periods per day that I can set during a 24-hour, seven-day scheduling period.
Typically, I keep my store at about 64 degrees in the winter, and I cool it to 71 degrees in the summer. Through trial and error, this range seems to work well for this store and my customers.
I simply log onto my computer, where each of my two thermostat units has its own IP address. Once online, I can turn the heat up or down, turn the fans on or off, change my temperature schedules – whatever I need to get done.
The thermostats in my store are from Proliphix.com, which offers only commercial applications. However, since I purchased those in 2009, a lot of other companies have jumped into the market and are producing units for commercial/residential applications.
Of course, with more and more companies producing Internet-controlled thermostats these days, the price has come down for these systems. I paid $400 apiece for my two units, but I estimate that they paid for themselves the first year I was open.
You have the option of going wired or wireless with these units. If you’re wireless, all you need is a modem – so installation is no big deal.
Also, as the technology has evolved, some of the newer units allow users to schedule out as far as a year in advance.
Pennies Make Dollars
Beyond the store’s thermostats, I’ve also installed low-flow aerators in the restroom, which allow only half a gallon of water a minute. I hunted nationwide until I found what I wanted, and I was able to find these aerators at a company in Florida, which is at conserveastore.com.
My store is unattended, and if some kid goes into the restroom and is playing with the water, that can waste a lot. It all adds up at the end of the month… and the end of the year.
What’s more, my coffee and snack machines are on timers. At the end of the evening, they turn off. So, that’s eight hours overnight where I’m not paying to run those machines.
Also, I’ve put insulation around my building to seal up any cracks.
It’s all about those little details. You’ve got to scrutinize your utility bills on a monthly basis.
I would guess that a number of my competitors have utility costs that represent 25 percent to 30 percent or more of their sales – due to a combination of older equipment and not being able to adjust the temperatures in their businesses as the weather fluctuates.
In this business, pennies make dollars. Today, it’s critical to keep up with the latest technology. It’s not all about collecting quarters.
Steve Ste. Marie is the owner of Bay View Maytag Laundromat, based in Milwaukee.
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