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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

March 22, 2012
Report: Repair, Expansion of U.S. Water Infrastructure to Top $1 Trillion

DENVER — The cost of repairing and expanding U.S. drinking water infrastructure will top $1 trillion in the next 25 years

DENVER — The cost of repairing and expanding U.S. drinking water infrastructure will top $1 trillion in the next 25 years, an expense that likely will be met primarily through higher water bills and local fees, an American Water Works Association (AWWA) report asserts.

The report, Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge, analyzes many factors, including timing of water main installation and life expectancy, materials used, replacement costs and shifting demographics, the association says. Nationally, the infrastructure needs are almost evenly divided between replacement and expansion requirements.

Water systems that were built in the latter part of the 19th century and throughout much of the 20th century have, for the most part, never experienced the need for pipe replacement on a large scale, the AWWA report says. “The dawn of an era in which the assets will need to be replaced puts a growing stress on communities that will continue to increase for decades to come.”

March 13, 2009
Toward a ‘Greener’ Planet

A lot has been written about “going green” — using “environmentally friendly” processes and strategies such as alternative solvents, recycling hangers or offering biodegradable poly.

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.