AAOA Blog

Water Conservation Rules Likely to Mandate Common Area Laundries in Apartments

Will In-Unit Washers and Dryers Soon Be A Blast From the Past?  

California has passed some of the country’s most stringent water conservation laws, including a requirement that all commercial washers and dryers meet threshold energy and water efficiency standards.

A dozen or so states have followed and many more are considering the same restrictions. Why?

Because washing laundry is one of our most energy and water wasteful activities. 

Apartment owners are in the governments’ sights because landlords can affect such an impact, be it negative or positive, on conservation efforts. Common area laundry facilities use 330% less water, and over 500% less energy than in-unit washers and dryers in apartments.

• The cost of heating water in each unit is one of the principle reasons for that discrepancy. 
• Small, inefficient in-unit machines are another.

“I’m expecting to see mandatory rules on common area laundries in California,” says Adam Coffey, President and CEO of Web Service Company, a laundry equipment leasing company in California with over 40,000 landlord locations in Los Angeles alone.  And these rules are likely in the not-to-distant future.  National predictions are showing that alternative energy technologies and long-term water conservation rules may be required sooner than we thought.  Some studies show water prices rising two or three times higher in just the next few years, particularly in the arid western U.S.  Alternative energy sources may be required as early as 2012 to offset shortages.

Breaking Wasteful Habits

But what to do with tenants who demand the perceived convenience of in-unit appliances?

“Bad habits need to be broken,” Adam explains.  “Tenants will need to understand that it’s the washer that is driving up their energy and water costs.”

Many tenants have already made the break. According to a survey we profiled in Are Your Tenants Washing Away Your Energy Savings?, tenants complain frequently about their in-unit washers, and about 35% don’t use them at all.  Common complaints focus on the small capacity, poor quality machines, and the time it takes to run load after load on laundry day. 

If energy savings doesn’t win them over, the newest laundry room technology is guaranteed to.  At Stanford University, one of Web’s largest clients, students enjoy their state-of-the-art facility. No waiting around or digging up coins here.  ”Our machines are wired to the Internet,” Adam explains.  “The washer will send an email to the user to notify them when the load is finished. A student can also reserve machines online so they are guaranteed to be available on the student’s schedule.”  

Smart-card enabled, high efficiency, high capacity,  well maintained machines make the task of doing laundry easy.  Besides, its a lot faster to wash five loads at the same time than it is to wash them singly in your apartment.  And who knows…with all that time savings, maybe shared laundry rooms will replace coffee houses as the next popular hangout.

Web Services Company is located headquartered in Redondo Beach, California and also provides leased laundry equipment and service throughout California, Nevada, and Hawaii. 

Are your tenants washing away your energy savings?  Click here to find out.

Did you know that leasing laundry equipment is a source of revenue for landlords.  Click here to learn more.

Learn more about cost savings on energy upgrades by visiting our Green Pages.

American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services related to your commercial housing investment, including tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing.  Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.

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