Home
Share |

Content about Boilers

March 27, 2012
Energy Efficiency Good for Planet, Profit

SAN FRANCISCO — About 2% separates our industry’s average utility cost and the benchmark, which equates to another $20,000 of profit per $1 million of sales

SAN FRANCISCO — Small businesses are generally not very resource-efficient. This is certainly true of drycleaning and laundry plants. The differential between our industry’s average utility cost and the benchmark utility cost as a percentage of sales is approximately 2%, which equates to an additional $20,000 of profit per $1 million of sales. That is a savings worth pursuing.

The easiest way to reduce this expense is to have professionals conduct an energy audit. Often, your utility provider offers this service free. If that is not the case in your area, there are professional energy consultants who perform the same service and get paid a percentage of your resulting cost savings.

EFFICIENCY CHECKLIST

A myriad of resources exist on the subject, some of which are referenced later in this article. You are probably familiar with the basics of energy and resource efficiency, but the following “Efficiency Checklist” may be helpful as a refresher.

General:

• Track your resource usage

• Compare your usage to industry benchmarks

December 6, 2011
Bryan Steam Receives UL Environmental Claims Validation

PERU, Ind. — Bryan Steam reports that it has received UL environmental claims validation for its Triple-Flex™ (patent pending) Ultra-High Efficiency Condensing Boilers.

The boilers feature flexible stainless-steel tubes, minimum thermal efficiency of 90% with 160 F return, and 180 F supply at maximum input. Efficiencies up to 99% are achievable with lower return water temperatures as found in new building designs, Bryan says.

Bryan Steam offers boilers in sizes from 250,000 to 25,200,000 Btuh input, plus a variety of related equipment accessories.

November 1, 2007
Are You in Hot Water?

An inspector’s report I once read described a drycleaner’s boiler room as a “showplace” of good maintenance with up-to-date service logs. But an unforeseen problem caused cracks in the larger of the two boilers, requiring its replacement at a cost of $33,150.

Drycleaners who pay less attention to their equipment have an even bigger chance of paying a lot when equipment breaks down. Boiler breakdowns can result in thousands of dollars in repairs, as well as additional property damage, downtime and loss of business income.

November 1, 2007
Audit Your Energy Use

According to the business-statistics firm BizStats, the cost of utilities in a drycleaning plant is 5.8% of its total income; for coin-ops, which many plants also operate, it’s 18.6%. A limited, unscientific survey I conducted suggests that these figures are not far off. These are high percentages that threaten to erode profits seriously.