Kaj Andersen, Director, Business Region III, Jensen Group
Here is a laundry list of direct and indirect ways in which laundry equipment can help operators reduce their heat requirements and curtail their energy costs, compiled by Kaj Andersen, Director, Business Region III, Jensen Group.
Dryers
Adjusting the drying cycle is a low-hanging fruit with a big impact. We recommend installing a central lint collector to make sure the filter is clean and the dryer maintains the evaporation rate.
Heat exchangers ensure that the energy of hot exhaust air is used to preheat the fresh incoming air. With a heat exchanger, the extract air goes down from 100-110°C to 60-65°C, saving up to 15% on heating energy.
An infrared control regulates the energy supply and avoids overheating, which is also harmful to the linen. This InfraCare control unit continuously measures the exact temperature of the load. Only the thermal energy which is needed is provided, reducing the energy consumption. In Jensen dryers, an infinitely variable air recirculation guarantees a highly efficient, batch-related drying process, and frequency controlled fan units optimise the airflow.
Ironers
When it comes to flatwork ironers, the chest-heated ironer has proven to be much more energy-efficient than cylinder-heated machines. Product development is going fast; the latest ironers from 2022 with flexible chest reduce the carbon dioxide footprint by 19% compared to models from 2020.
We also recommend a waxing alarm to make efficient use of electrical power, and conduct regular service checks to increase productivity. Thanks to a direct heated gap piece between the rolls, the evaporation capacity is increased. Fast temperature changes can be easily done thanks to the semi-flexible chest with low weight; neither time nor energy will be wasted. A new triple-pass boiler reduces the flue gas temperature by 20°C.
Jensen ironers are made of carbon steel and reach a four times higher heat conduction than ironers built of stainless steel. Carbon steel also guarantees lower friction. Hence, less energy is used to drive the rolls.
Tunnel Washers
Save energy by conserving water: a tunnel washer makes better use of water than any washer extractor. If a laundry requires as little as 1.6 l of fresh water per kg of linen, less water needs to be heated.
Tunnel washers with a heat exchanger get a second benefit: The heat exchanger extracts energy from the wastewater. The overall temperature level in the washing and rinsing process is increased. This reduces the heating of the process water and saves steam consumption. The temperature of the wastewater will be around 20°C (instead of 55°C), and the fresh water temperature will be at 38°C.
A tunnel washer that runs one full shift per day will save 27% in steam consumption per year.
High-performance machines
With higher capacities, more kilograms of laundry are processed per hour, and the machine consumes less energy per production hour. Design, construction, and the use of high-performance components, such as motors in the highest energy efficiency class, are a guarantee for energy-efficient laundry machines.
