U.S. Water News Online
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- For many apartment and dormitory dwellers, doing laundry is a ritual. Purchase the single-serve box of detergent from the modified cigarette dispenser, unload a pocketful of quarters into the machine, and cram every last sock and T-shirt you can into the tub. For those who have a washer and dryer in their apartment, the chore is more leisurely and they don't mind doing an extra load instead of sitting on the lid to get the cycle started.
The psychology of washing clothes is nothing new, but a recent national survey showed the amount of water used (and discharged) by tenants using in-unit washing machines was more than three times the amount consumed by those using common-laundry facilities. "A National Study of Laundry-Water Use in Multi-Housing" found that a resident with an in-unit washing machine used 227 gallons of water per week compared with a resident who used 69 gallons per week in a common-laundry facility.
David Feild, the executive director of the Multi-housing Laundry Association (MLA), said the results shouldn't surprise anyone but they pointed out the sharp difference -- and potential water, energy, capital and maintenance savings -- between putting washing machines in apartments versus a laundry room.
"If you're plunking a lot of quarters into a machine you're going to save up," said Feild, "but if you have the availability of a machine in the unit you do frequent, light loads."
The survey was commissioned and paid for by the MLA, a trade association of businesses who install and maintain common-area laundry facilities in multi-family housing, college dormitories and military bases, but conducted independently by the National Research Council, Inc. (NRC) of Boulder, Colo.
For approximately 60 days in the autumn of 2000, NRC monitored 191 in-unit washing machines and 50 common-area machines in eight apartment buildings in San Diego, Atlanta, Dallas, and Portland, Ore. Each machine was fitted with cold and hot water meters approved by the California Dept. of Weights and Measures.
There is a socio-economic factor associated with laundry room use and NRC Sr. Research Associate Erin Caldwell said the biggest challenge was finding compatible apartment buildings. Buildings were selected based on rent levels and they chose only higher-grade properties she said.
At the end of the survey period, residents were sent a questionnaire asking them how much washing they did at laundromats or their friend's and the numbers were adjusted accordingly. (There was a 48 percent response rate to the questionnaire.) After factoring in offsite usage, the final results showed residents with in-unit machines used 3.3 times more water than those using a common facility.
The result verified a smaller MLA-sponsored survey made in Phoenix in 1993 which found a water-use ratio of 3.7 between in-unit and common areas.
Feild admits the survey shines favorably on the MLA's industry, but he emphasizes that the numbers speak for themselves. "There's increasing scrutiny of washing machines in terms of water and energy use and this survey show the vast difference in consumption," he said.
According to the American Water Works Association, the average per-capita use in a single-family home is 15.1 gallons of water per day for washing clothes or 21 percent of daily indoor consumption. (Only toilets at 27.7 percent use more water.) In states like Florida and California, there is a push to increase washing machine efficiency to conserve water. In other areas there is concern about the amount of wastewater the machines produce.
In Marin, Calif., the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) offered a $75 rebate to customers who purchased more efficient front-loading machines. According to MMWD, a top-loading machine uses 40-45 gallons for a large load compared to a front loader which uses 20-30 gallons. By converting, customers could save up to 6,000 gallons per year in water consumption and cut their energy consumption for laundry by 70 percent. In addition to the more efficient front-loaders, the industry has developed "smart cards" which allow commercial washer and dryer users to pay only for the cycles they use.
The MLA plans to distribute the survey for education and as a reference point for municipalities and water providers who may be considering rebates or other incentives for multi-housing owners and developers to install common-laundry facilities.
"The big point is when they're installing in-unit hookups, they're going to have less outlay for water if they have a common laundry area," said current MLA President Craig Mitchell. "There's also a greater cost of acquisition, service, and capital to have them in the units."
It is difficult to determine how much more tenants pay to have a washer and dryer in their apartment, but the average cost if they were rented from a commercial supplier is approximately $35 per month. The MLA realizes that common-laundry areas will never be in every apartment building or college dorm, but as water and electricity becomes more scarce they must be seriously considered as a conservation alternative.
Mitchell is the vice president of Washco Laundry Equipment in Fort Myers, Fla. and he supplies equipment for common areas as well as individual apartments.
"We are a service industry and (washers and dryers) are a service no matter where they are," he said. "But for the sake of the country, I think common areas would be a good idea."
*****
For a copy of the survey, contact the Multi-Housing Laundry Association at 800-380-3652 or check on-line at www.laundrywise.com
Return to the U.S. Water News Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields