Ctg064 laundries industrial energy efficiency

Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator - Guide to the laundries sector

Each year the UK industrial laundries sector processes approximately 743,651 tonnes of mainly hotel linen and towels, work wear and linen and garments for the health sector across 134 sites. The energy required to process the product is 1,254 GWh, equivalent to emissions of approximately 281,500 tonnes of CO2 per year (tCO2).

Executive summary The Carbon Trust Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA) was launched in 2008 with the objective to identify and accelerate the take up of innovations by industry to reduce CO2 emissions. The programme is split into three stages, Investigation and Solution Identification (Stage 1), Implementation (Stage 2) and Replication (Stage 3). This report presents the findings from Stage 1 of the IEEA for the laundries sector.

Each year the UK laundries sector processes approximately 743,651 tonnes of mainly hotel linen and towels, work wear and linen and garments for the health sector across 134 sites. To deal with this requires an energy consumption of 1,254 GWh, which equates to emissions of approximately 281,500 tonnes of CO2 per year 1 (tCO2) .

The sector has made significant improvements in its energy performance between 2008 and 2010, with an improvement of 7% being made against its Climate Change Agreement targets.

The Carbon trust has been working closely with the sector in 2010 and 2011 to understand the energy use in the laundry process and then to identify opportunities capable of making a step change in energy efficiency. The initial engagement and investigation sought to identify potential innovative opportunities across the laundry through the washing, drying and finishing processes.

The monitoring strategy was devised to provide understanding of the separate laundry processes and provide an insight to how they were related and what the savings potential was. This programme was supplemented by engaging with the sector and its supply chain to develop a prioritised list of opportunities for carbon reduction.

The overall maximum carbon saving potential for the sector through both good practice actions and future innovation is estimated to be 26% or 74,500 tCO2/yr. The good practice element of this, which includes measures that are well documented, mature and can be implemented by the sector without future Carbon Trust intervention, can deliver around 9% carbon savings (26,000 tonnes pa). Other more innovative opportunities offer the remaining carbon saving potential identified (48,000 tonnes pa). The level of carbon savings that are actually achieved will depend on how many measures the sector implements.

1

Data supplied by the Textile Services Association for the year to September 2010

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Innovative opportunities for significant carbon emission reduction applicable across the sector fall into six distinct areas, which are shown below along with the cost to deploy each on a single trial site and the total sector level savings possible assuming maximum sector-wide take up: Table 1 Innovative Opportunities Sector Savings Challenge Area

Industry process Model Heat management incorporating CHP Polyester based towels Up rating low grade heat using MVR Retrofit temperature and humidity controls Diamond electrode (low temperature) washing

Demonstration Project Cost (£)

Annual Carbon Dioxide Savings (tCO2)

Annual Cost Savings (£)

£125,000

8,433

£1,130,000

£500,000k - £800,000k

14,600

£934,000

£50,000 - £100,000

10,000

£1,683,000

£100,000 - £200,000

5,600

£1,000,000

£50,000 -£100,000

6,480

£210,000

8,138

£1,200,000

£150,000

The next steps are for the project teams to be put together and to either work as a partnership or secure third party funding to help provide the resource and support to fully understand and exploit the potential offered by these innovations.

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Table of contents Executive summary .................................................................................................. 1 1 Background to Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator ................................. 5 1.1

Report overview ................................................................................................................. 5

2 Background to the laundries sector .................................................................. 7 2.1

Sector overview ................................................................................................................. 7

2.2.

Laundry process ................................................................................................................ 9

2.3.

Laundries sector supply chain ......................................................................................... 11

2.4.

Energy consumption and carbon emissions for the sector .............................................. 11

2.5.

Impact of carbon legislation ............................................................................................. 16

2.6.

Progress on improving energy performance ................................................................... 17

2.7.

Business drivers and barriers .......................................................................................... 18

2.8.

International perspective .................................................................................................. 18

3 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 22 3.1.

Overview of the process .................................................................................................. 22

3.2.

Energy costs .................................................................................................................... 23

3.3.

Monitoring Strategy .......................................................................................................... 24

3.4.

Sector engagement ......................................................................................................... 25

4 Key findings ....................................................................................................... 26 4.1

Monitoring strategy .......................................................................................................... 26

4.2

Site energy audit .............................................................................................................. 26

4.3

Gas consumption audits .................................................................................................. 27

4.4

Steam consumption audits .............................................................................................. 28

4.5

Process audits ................................................................................................................. 28

4.6

Steam ironer .................................................................................................................... 29

4.7

Gas fired tumble dryer ..................................................................................................... 30

4.8

Tunnel finisher ................................................................................................................. 31

4.9

Plant operation ................................................................................................................. 32

4.10

Continuous batch washer ................................................................................................ 33

4.11

Ironer operation................................................................................................................ 34

4.12

Finisher operation ............................................................................................................ 36

4.13

Continuous towel washer and washer extractor .............................................................. 37

5 Best practice opportunities .............................................................................. 38 5.1

Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 38

5.2.

Best practice opportunities .............................................................................................. 43

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6 Opportunities for innovation ............................................................................ 45 6.1

Opportunities for innovation ............................................................................................. 45

Appendices ............................................................................................................. 56 Appendix A: Energy survey extracts .................................................................... 57 Appendix B: Sector survey .................................................................................... 60 Appendix C: Potential sites for metering ............................................................. 63 Appendix D: Installed metering ............................................................................. 64 Appendix E: Schedule of headline engagement activities.................................. 65 Appendix F: Monitoring equipment schedule ...................................................... 67

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1 Background to Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator

1.1

Report overview

The IEEA aims to deliver a step change in reduction in industrial process emissions by accelerating innovation within processes and the uptake of low carbon technologies.

Industry is responsible for 25% of the UKâ€&#x;s total CO2 emissions. The Carbon Trustâ€&#x;s experience supports the view of the Committee on Climate Change, which indicated that savings of 4-6 mtCO2 (up to 4% of current 2 emissions) should be realistically achievable in industry with appropriate interventions .

The Carbon Trust believes that CO2 savings far beyond those set in current policy targets are possible by working more directly with organisations to clarify the opportunities. The impact of policy can also be accelerated and increased if industry sectors are helped to understand their energy use and informed how to make significant changes in a short timeframe, rather than gradually reduce their emissions over time. Furthermore, direct intervention can help embed a culture of innovation and good energy management, resulting in a greater longterm impact.

Significant CO2 reductions in industry are possible by working with those medium-sized industry sectors that are outside of the EU ETS scheme but are affected by either Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) or the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme. These industries are moderately energy intensive and, in total, account for 84mtCO2 emissions per year.

The Carbon Trust currently works with industry by supporting companies to reduce their carbon emissions. The approach is applied across a range of industries but does not offer detailed advice on sector-specific manufacturing processes. More energy intensive industries frequently cite the fact that survey recommendations do not address the bulk of their energy use as a reason for not implementing them. Between 50% and 90% of a siteâ€&#x;s energy consumption could typically be used by a sector-specific manufacturing process.

In addition, the Carbon Trust Applied Research Scheme has supported the development of a number of industryrelated technologies. This scheme is offered in response to applications for support, rather than targeting specific technologies.

Recognising the challenge of reducing CO2 emissions from industry, and the carbon reduction potential of sector-specific manufacturing processes, the Carbon Trust looked at how it could best engage with industry to significantly increase the rate of carbon reduction beyond that delivered by carbon surveys. As a result, the IEEA was launched as a pilot in 2008. It focuses on identifying and addressing the reasons why opportunities to reduce

2

Committee on Climate Change, December 2008

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emissions in industrial processes are not put into action. There is close collaboration with industrial sectors to identify low carbon innovations that go beyond “good practice� and that require support for their implementation and roll out. To achieve this, the IEEA is split into three distinct stages summarised below: Figure 1 Overview of IEEA Stages Examination of specific processes in depth to understand energy use and interfaces with other systems This involves collecting information from: operators, equipment manufacturers and the actual equipment in use at a representative group of sites.

The opportunities identified at this stage fall in to 3 themes: Product Strategy: Concerning the raw materials, product mix and the supply chain Processes: How processes configuration could be improved Equipment upgrades or new technologies replace existing items Gathering evidence to support a business case for implementing energy-efficiency opportunities In this stage projects are funded to demonstrate and deploy innovative low carbon technologies in the areas identified in stage 1.

The aim of each project is to provide the evidence for the whole sector to implement changes.

Promoting the uptake of our demonstrated solutions, in partnership with the relevant trade associations In the final stage, the results of Stage 2 are disseminated widely to the whole sector to encourage other sector companies to deploy the technologies.

This includes the development of business cases and site visits to help facilitate wide replication.

To date the IEEA has worked with 14 sectors: Aggregates

Confectionary

Animal Feed

Dairies

Plastic Bottle Blow Moulding

Laundries

Bakeries

Maltsters

Brewing

Microelectronics

Brick Manufacture

Paper

Catering

Metalforming

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2 Background to the laundries sector

2.1

Sector overview

The Textile Services Association is the trade association representing the laundry industry in the UK. The sector is an enthusiastic, collaborative and open sector with the sites and companies willing to work together and share data; as a result they have become active participants in this IEEA. The sector consists of 134 sites, dominated by two main companies, Johnsons Apparelmaster and the Sunlight Group, who together make up almost half of the sector, with 19 and 40 sites respectively. The rest of the sector consists of some smaller groups with large and medium sized laundries, followed by some large independents and then some independent small and medium sized facilities. The sector has in place a Climate Change Agreement.

Table 2 UK Industrial Laundy SItes Processor

Number of Sites in UK

Processor

Number of Sites in UK

The Sunlight Service Group

40

Synergy Health (UK) Ltd

3

Johnsons Apparelmaster

19

Fenland Laundries Ltd

3

Blue Dragon Hillingdon

1

White Knight Laundry Services Ltd

2

Professional Linen Services

1

Initial Washroom Solutions

2

Shortridge Ltd

2

Central Laundry

1

Ashbon Laundry

1

Faversham Laundry

1

Petersfield, Rushes Road

1

Lucinda's Laundry Ltd

1

Tibard Laundry Services Ltd

1

Telford Laundry Limited

1

Isa Lea

1

County Textile Services Ltd,

1

Bourne Textile Services Ltd

1

Robinson Services Laundry Division

1

Fishers Services Ltd

5

Star County Textile Services Ltd

1

Imperial Laundry

1

Dyfed Cleaning Services Ltd

2

TRS (Wales) Ltd

1

Belmont Laundry

1

H2O Linen Services

1

Cathkin Clean Scotland Ltd

1

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Bates of London

1

Paragon

5

Blackpool Laundry Co Ltd

1

London Linen

2

PHS Group

2

CLEAN Linen Services Ltd

5

Afonwen Laundry Limited

2

Northfields

1

Mister P

1

Mersey Towel Service (Laundry) Ltd

1

Eastern Counties Laundry

4

Abbey Glen Ltd

1

Lilliput (Dunmurry)

1

Camplings Ltd

1

Ellesmere Linen Hire

1

Cherry Hinton Road

1

Whites Textile Services Ltd

1

Belmont Laundry

1

OCS Group UK Limited

6

Cathkin Clean Scotland Ltd

1

Jacksons, Weir Street

1

Aqua Laundry

1

The laundry sector offers two main services to clients: 1.

2.

Contract laundry/textile rental. We estimate that 90% of the sector‟s energy consumption is used in this service which can be divided into flatware (towels and linen); workwear and health. Rental is offered as part of a customer solution this involves the life cycle management of the garment. The rental part of the business, as opposed to customer owned items represents about 80% of the market, textile rental will include: o

Corporate image wear for the service industry

o

Workwear for high-care sectors

o

Protective clothing

o

General-purpose workwear

o

Bed linen and patients' clothing for hospitals

o

Surgical textiles for the operating theatre

o

Hospitality linen for hotels, restaurants and cafes

o

Washroom textile towels

o

Dust control mats

Dry cleaning. About 10% of the sector‟s energy consumption is used for dry cleaning. Dry cleaning is a shrinking market as textiles and the washing process are refined to make this process increasing obsolete and as a result plays little part in this study.

With 90% of the sector‟s energy consumed in laundries the project focused largely on the main processes within them, these are highlighted in bold in the generic process diagram below: Figure 2 Simplified Laundry Process Diagram Storage

Dispatch

Weighing

Washing

Extraction

Packing

Finishing

Drying

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The major process costs to the industry are for water, labour and energy

2.2.

Laundry process

The laundry process goes from collecting the soiled garment from the client, washing, drying and finishing and returning back to the client, before the process starts again.

Figure 3 Detailed Laundry Process Diagram

2.2.1.

Weighing and classification

The process starts with the laundry entering site and being sorted and classified by item type and level of soiling.

The product is then weighed to the required load and is moved on to the washing process.

An important part of the laundry process is ensuring the correct batch weights are put into the process, as lower weights lead to a reduction in efficiencies. If the batch is overweight then wash quality can be compromised leading to higher rewash rates.

The batch loads are also assessed for level of soiling and fabric to ensure they are subject to the correct wash programme to once again ensure the pieces are washed as efficiently as possible.

This is an area of the process that all sections of the laundry industry are aware, meaning there is a focus on getting each batch correctly weighed and classified as the benefits of this are well known.

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Washing process

Items are washed in either a Continuous Tunnel Washer (CTW) or a washer extractor.

A CTW is likely to be used in the larger laundries and are basically a large diameter cylinder which is separated into compartments via a screw arrangement. Weighed batches are moved through each compartment by the screw, with each section providing a set task (prewash, wash, rinse, etc.), with heat and detergent added where necessary. After a set period of time the screw rotates and moves the batch onto the next compartment.

The water is introduced at one end (rinse) and flows through the cylinder in the opposite direction to the product flow, till it exits at the front end, where usually the heat and water are recovered. Differing batches can have different cycles applied to them to ensure the most appropriate wash is given to that type of batch. The batch size is dependent on the machine and can be between 25kg and 120 kg.

Process times will vary depending on the level of soiling of the product; for example hotel linen will be processed in a shorter time than workwear.

At the end of the CTW the batch is then de-watered, usually by means of a hydro-extraction press, which turns the batch into a cylindrical cake. With CTWâ€&#x;s that launder workwear there is usually a centrifuge instead of the press due to the potential for cracking buttons or for buttons damaging the press membrane.

A washer extractor is similar to a domestic washing machine and is loaded according to weight capacity; the garments will follow the set programme, which usually includes a spin function at the end for moisture removal.

Heat and detergent are added to the operation as and when required.

2.2.3.

Drying process

Following the washing process the product will be moved onto the drying operation and transferred either automatically or manually to a tumble dryer. The dryer will either use steam or, increasingly, use direct heat from a gas burner.

For linen, the dryers are also used to condition the fabric and break up the cake which has come out of the press and thus prepare the linen for the ironers.

For workwear the dryers are used to remove moisture from the garment, but they will not completely dry it to allow the finishing process to operate successfully.

Heat recovery is rare from the drying process due to the amount of lint in the air stream which may block heat exchangers or be expensive to filter.

2.2.4.

Finishing operations

There are two finishing operations, ironers for linen and tunnel finishers for workwear. Both work to a similar principle of finishing the item whilst damp to allow the creases to be removed.

2.2.4.1. Tunnel finishers The tunnel finishers are used predominately in workwear plants, where their role is to complete the drying and remove any creases from the garment. Garments are hung from hangers and continuously pass through the finishing tunnel, which can be heated by steam of directly with a gas burner.

The tunnel finisher is divided into three zones; the first zone involves steam injection to allow the fabric to relax and encourage the creases to drop out; the second zone involves warm humid air to smooth the crease out and hot dry air in the final zone removes moisture. On exiting the tunnel the garment will be dry and crease free.

2.2.4.2. Ironers The ironer usually consist of an automatic feed and folder, the ironer will remove creases from flat items such as sheets, pillowcases and table linen.

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Ironers are steam or gas heated, both have their own benefits but the move is towards direct gas ironers. The ironers work by using padded rollers which press the items against a heated bed to remove the creases and dry the product to finish it.

It is the view of the industry that the ironers and the finishing process have not improved greatly over the last 20 years, as other parts of the process have improved. It is thought that ironers are high energy users which have experienced little innovation over the past 20 years.

2.2.5.

Folding and packing

As the product exits the finishing process it will be folded either automatically or manually. The product is then usually put on a conveyor line and wrapped in film and sent through a conventional long wave infra-red shrink wrapping tunnel.

Following this it is taken to dispatch and returned to the client.

2.3.

Laundries sector supply chain

The supply chain for the laundries sector covers three main areas: detergent, equipment and fabric. The key suppliers are all European based and there is a thriving market in second hand equipment which seems to service the smaller laundries.

Table 3 Equipment Suppliers Company

Based in

UK Agent or Factory

Technology

Kannegiesser

Germany

Agent

Equipment

Jensen Group

Switzerland

Agent

Equipment

Cherrytree

UK

Factory

Equipment

Ecolab

USA

Agent

Detergent / Chemicals

Christeyns

Belgium

Agent

Detergent / Chemicals

Richard Haworth

UK

Factory

Fabric

Hilden

UK

Factory

Fabric

Aqua Therm

UK

Factory

Heat Recovery

The suppliers have been engaged and included in this programme from the outset, as the sector works very closely with its suppliers and there is a good degree of dialogue and experimentation that goes on already.

The suppliers are constantly striving to improve their products year on year in partnership with the laundries and obviously in competition with each other, they are well placed to provide some of the innovations that are identified in this project however innovators from outside the sector have also been identified and engaged in the programme.

2.4.

Energy consumption and carbon emissions for the sector

2.4.1.

Sector emissions

The table below summarises the annual energy consumption for the sector, this information comes from the Milestone 5 (December 2009 – November 2010) Climate Change Levy returns.

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Table 4 Annual Energy Consumption within the Laundry Sector Energy Type

Energy Use, kWh

Emissions, tonnes CO2

121,806,311

65,410

1,049,204,162

194,103

LPG

4,901,891

1,049

Gas Oil / Fuel Oil

78,403,360

20,876

1,254,315,725

281,438

Electricity Natural Gas

Totals

The table shows that significantly more fuel is used in the sector than electricity, approximately 10:1 ratio as is highlighted in the pie chart below.

Figure 4 Laundries Sector Energy Consumption

3

The pie chart below showing the emissions split, shows that significantly more CO2 emissions result from fuels as opposed to electricity, although it should be noted that the electricity proportion has grown. Consequently fuel use has been the primary focus of this accelerator programme and it is where the majority of the findings and recommendations are. However, electricity savings will be an additional benefit from a number of the recommendations made, with the sector already well aware of the savings possible from the use of variable speed drives. The Carbon Trust Sector guide (CTV040) - Energy saving opportunities in Laundries, provides details of a number of ideas that will give electricity saving.

3

Figures derived from Laundries sector Climate Change Levy Milestone 5 submissions

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Figure 5 Laundries Sector Carbon Emissions Split

4

The total laundry throughput in the UK is 743,651 tonnes , this gives the average specific energy consumption of 1687 kWh/tonne (using delivered energy), with the split for electricity and fuel shown below.

Table 5 Specific Energy Consumption Energy Type Electricity

SEC, kWh/tonne 163.79

Fuel

1,522.90

TOTAL

1,686.69

Figure 5 below shows a plot of electricity and fuel against production highlighting a very close relationship between production and energy consumption.

4

Figures from Climate Change Levy Milestone 5 submissions

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Figure 6 Laundries Sector Annual Energy Consumption vs. Production

Both electrical and heat energy are essential for the laundering process, the electricity requirement will be determined by the amount of automation in a facility and by the efficiency of its technology, including the use of variable speed drives.

The average electricity requirement for the sector is 163 kWh/tonne. Figure 7 shows the wide variation between sites, the sites with the higher electricity SEC tend to be the ones with greater automation. Some variation occurs also due to the differing nature of the products processed: workwear, flatware and health products.

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Figure 7 Electricity Specific Energy Consumption

Fuel and in particular natural gas is used in the major processes and is consumed in much greater quantities than electricity. Workwear and health sites generally consume more energy than a flatware site due to the more stringent washing standards and the fact that, on the whole, the products are more heavily soiled.

Figure 8 Fuel Specific Energy Consumption

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The histogram below highlights the number of sites and their SEC. It also shows that the smaller sites are the least efficient, with those producing less than 2,000 tonnes per annum generally having a higher SEC. Figure 9 Site Specific Energy Consumption

2.5.

Impact of carbon legislation

The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a charge on non-domestic energy bills for electricity, natural gas, LPG and coal. In 2009 the Textile Services Association secured a sector exemption under the energy intensive criteria from the CCL. The umbrella agreement was signed in autumn 2009 with the sector agreeing to an energy performance target of 7.5% in milestone 5 (the laundries sector first target period) against a 2007/2008 base year. This target needs to be achieved or carbon allowances need to be purchased if the target is missed, in order to maintain the exemption. The agreement for the laundries sector at present only covers a discount on the CCL applied to electricity, as state aids issues need to be resolved before a discount on other fuels is applied.

The sector responded positively to the structure and discipline of the Agreement mechanism, working collaboratively at every stage to meet the target. A joint energy summit was held in February 2010 to benchmark best practice which for the first time brought competitors together to discuss ways in which best practice could be spread and to consider which energy savings investments would secure the greatest savings.

The impact of Climate Change Agreements on the sector has been beneficial in terms of cooperation throughout the sector. Individual, sites having a target to reach and having to consider how their actions will impact on their energy performance has also been valuable. Sites are now using energy management techniques of varying complexity to track energy consumption and performance against targets and this has ensured carbon has moved further up the management agenda and the need to reduce it has been further highlighted.

The laundries companiesâ€&#x; participation in the Carbon Reduction Commitment will depend on their organisational structure, their level of CCA coverage and their energy consumption.

The laundries sector has no sites covered by EU ETS.

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17

Progress on improving energy performance

The sector has always had a healthy interest in energy efficiency, with this being primarily driven by cost control, as energy is one of the major process costs. Since the laundry sector gained an exemption from the Climate Change Levy a more intense focus has been given to energy reduction.

This need for compliance to their Climate Change Agreement and the rising spectre of the Carbon Reduction Commitment had given a new impetus to energy saving. The sector, as a whole, achieved over a 7% reduction in the first CCA target period they faced, this reduction was achieved by improving existing operations as opposed to site rationalisation.

A sector guide “Energy saving opportunities in laundries� (CTV040) was published in 2009 and was heavily publicised by the Textile Services Association, with laundries comparing their own operation against the publication.

Laundries understand the importance of areas such as work classification, weighing, maximising hydro extraction and minimising tumble dryer usage and a lot of work has been done in these areas to ensure any benefits are reaped.

The sector Climate Change Agreement has also provided a focus for energy saving within the sector, with more laundries introducing basic energy management systems to understand their performance against target and to assist in planning measures that will help them achieve their targets. The use of energy management techniques was introduced, with more use and visibility of sector benchmarks and laundry type performance to allow sites to understand their position, what is achievable and to help share best practice.

The vast majority of sites in the sector feel they are pretty good in terms of energy efficiency but all realise there is still more to do. Most sites have adopted or are installing variable speed drives. The recovery of heat from the washing process is well understood and is carried out, certainly at the larger sites. Heat recovery from the wash process is a common energy saving operation that is regularly monitored and assessed.

There has been investment in new equipment and new technology that will help reduce energy consumption, with new models of dryers being more efficient than their predecessors. There has also been some switching of fuels with direct gas fired dryers and ironers becoming more common in the industry, although this has not been fully quantified, industry experience is highlighting an energy reduction.

There is a move to fit energy efficient lighting when investing in their facilities, with a small number of sites fitting LED fittings.

The sector also works closely with its supply chain and in particular its chemical suppliers to optimise the laundry process, with energy reduction now being discussed alongside wash quality and water consumption.

The fact that energy is a significant cost within the sector has also helped laundries understand the importance of energy saving from a cost viewpoint and also from an environmental one and has driven a number of initiatives to achieve this.

The sector is also constantly exploring ways in which efficiencies can be gained. Laundry equipment and detergent suppliers are regularly developing variations and improvements of pieces of equipment and chemicals used to reduce or recover the energy used within the process. Suppliers are very active and work closely with the laundries in trialling new technologies, with the vast majority of the new equipment or chemicals delivering an energy saving, with the primary saving being a reduction in water usage and consequently the amount of water that needs heating.

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18

Business drivers and barriers

The drivers and barriers were explored thoroughly in our sector engagement activities.

The laundry sector, in particular textile rental, is extremely competitive, with the main drivers being price and service quality. The current economic situation means the market is even more price sensitive, couple this with the increasing price of cotton and the sector is heavily focussed on reducing costs by making operations and procurement more efficient. This means that energy and ultimately carbon efficiency are of increasing interest to the industry.

Drivers Typical carbon emissions for an industrial laundry are in the region of 2,100 tCO2 per annum, with carbon emissions being split in the ratio 25%/75% for electricity and fuel (fuel being natural gas, LPG and fuel oil).

Assuming energy costs of 7.5 p/kWh and 2.5 p/kWh for electricity and natural gas and 6.5 p/kWh and 6p/kWh for LPG and fuel oil respectively, annual energy costs for energy use would be in the region of ÂŁ300,000 for a typical laundry. So reducing energy costs is a major sector driver.

Compliance to Climate Change Agreement targets is also a major driver, as it is a scheme the laundry sector has embraced and is committed to meet its obligations. The incentive is to meet targets and so be exempt from the levy.

Corporate responsibility and reputation are also key drivers for carbon reduction. For example, Johnsons has achieving ISO14001 and Sunlight has gained the Carbon Trust Standard.

Barriers Cost effectiveness: Any implementation of new innovations will need to have a good return on investment, as the sector is currently demanding a 2 year payback, which is at present being strictly adhered to.

Operability: If any technology contains uncertainty regarding the impact on machine operability this would be a major barrier to its adoption. However the converse also holds: any technology that both reduces energy consumption and improves operability would offer additional benefits and be very attractive to the sector.

Operational Costs: The sector is under severe pressure on margins. So, while low carbon technologies should reduce operational costs this should not be accompanied by increases in maintenance costs for the equipment installed.

Business Case. This will need to be robust, i.e. savings must be deliverable and all financial savings and costs included. The sector would like to see all potential benefits captured, e.g. could a carbon reduction measure also help deliver productivity improvements or reduce maintenance requirements.

2.8.

International perspective

There is a large degree of innovation and learning that is brought into the UK from the international market and in particular Europe. This transfer of knowledge is primarily due to the fact that the major suppliers of both equipment and detergent are all European based.

The process capacity of individual laundry facilities is fairly similar. However the European laundry market tends to have a larger number of laundries operating on a single shift basis, with the UK tending to operate centralised facilities with a multi shift operation. The main reason for this difference in operating hours is mainly due to the fact that labour costs are higher on the continent.

Innovation is usually driven by the European market, with the technology transferring across to the UK when market conditions dictate; it is unusual for a product to be designed purely for the UK market although this does happen.

Between the UK and European markets there is also a difference in the building of new laundry facilities. In Europe we see more new builds due to cheaper land and build cost: typical total build cost is estimated to be

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50% cheaper in Europe. Also in the UK, most developments are on industrial estates made for warehousing and not enough services are available for a laundry. The UK also has smaller site footprints for laundries compared to Europe; if we take rough comparison the European laundry would have 50% more floor space.

The European Textile Services Association The European Textile Services Association (ETSA) provides a link across Europe giving a mechanism for discussing issues, innovation and the market. It promotes the textile rental sector across Europe and its involvement covers four main aims: Regulatory affairs: o

inform members about relevant European legislation and industry standards

o Inform legislators about the textile rental sector o

promote best industry practices

Research: o sponsor studies to demonstrate the benefits of textile services Communication: o establish wider communication between industry professionals Education: o communicate the quality and professionalism of textile rental services.

SMILES Project SMILES (Sustainable Measures for Industrial Laundry Expansion Strategies) is a project that looks at innovation and best practice for small and medium sized companies covering a number of factors including energy efficiency.

The project will investigate, further develop and implement 16 new sustainable technologies for water and energy savings and CO2 reduction of EU industrial laundries.

The evaluators of the European Commission (EC) for this project have stated that project SMILES: a)

has a very high relevance for the objectives of the European Community

b)

is excellent by its good and clear focus on scientific and technological issues

c)

is well balanced in expertise.

The participants in the SMILES project are listed below.

Participant name

Country

FBT URBH SPP CCS-MT CCE-ITD

Belgium France Poland Slovenia Croatia

Hogeschool Gent

Belgium

Schieke BVBA

Belgium

CTTN-IREN

France

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wfk-CTRI

Germany

ITEK-UM

Slovenia

TTF-UZ

Croatia

PROMIKRON 3

Netherlands

Stomerij Zeekant

Netherlands

Kreussler & Co

Germany

ACT

Netherlands

The purpose of SMILES is to design the Smart Laundry-2015 through research, further development and adaptation of 16 sustainable key technologies listed below.

1. Water reduction

9. Lowered CO2 emissions

2. Water reuse / membranes

10. Energy buffers

3. Water disinfection

11. Chemicals reduction

4. Supercritical gasification

12. Cleavable detergents and additives

5. Low Temperature Washing with adequate hygiene

13. Electrochemical bleaching

6. Direct gas heated laundries (steamless industrial laundry) 7. Textile drying techniques

14. Ultrasonic cleaning

8. Combined Heat Power

16. Synthesis for SMART LAUNDRY-2015

15. Textile hygiene

The EU-27 industrial laundry sector, has 11.000 establishments (more than 90% SMEs), washes 2.7 billion kg of soiled textiles (wet weight), employs 168,000 workers and utilized 42 million m3 of wash water and 16,666 GWh of energy per year. It generates similar quantities of waste water to be treated, and substantial CO2 emissions (3.8 million tonnes CO2/year).

The programme provides focused and coordinated research to develop and improve innovative technologies which will greatly enhance the performance of the industrial EU laundry sector.

The overall project target is the full implementation of the 16 key technologies of Smart Laundry-2015 that hopes to reduce the annual water consumptions by at least 10.4 million m3 (30% water savings), the energy consumptions by 7,638 GWh (45% energy savings) and the overall CO2 emissions by 2.3 million tons CO2 (60% 5 CO2 reduction) at 100% market penetration in all EU Member States in the year 2015 .

The objectives of the SMILES project are: The development and design the Smart Laundry-2015 resulting in lower water and energy usage and CO2 emissions To communicate and disseminate the research findings and the design of the Smart Laundry-2015 to the participants, key commercial equipment suppliers and early adopting SME end-users in the EU-27

5

Information from SMILES project website

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To implement the project results of the Smart Laundry-2015 in the EU-27 through training and demonstration projects.

Leonardo DaVinci Programme 'Leonardo da Vinciâ€&#x; is the European Community's vocational training programme. It aims improve the quality of training provision, develop the skills and mobility of the workforce, stimulate innovation and enhance the competitiveness of European industry'.

The Leonardo Advance programme offers online training on the sustainability of industrial laundering processes and is aimed primarily at laundry managers, quality and technical managers of laundries and apprentices as 6 well .

6

http://www.laundry-sustainability.eu/en/

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3 Methodology

3.1.

Overview of the process

The objective of stage 1 of the IEEA work was to identify technological opportunities to deliver carbon savings through innovation in the laundry process. To assist in this process a generic energy consumption model was developed for a typical flatwear laundry utilising both gas and steam dryers.

The model also assumes that heat recovery is installed on the wash process.

Figure 10 Sankey Diagram for Flatwear Laundry

The energy balance helped shape the monitoring for the programme, with the bulk of the energy used in the finishing or ironing processes. As well as being the most energy intensive these processes havenâ€&#x;t evolved for 20 years and a detailed investigation into them would be one of the most useful parts of the programme.

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3.2.

23

Energy costs

An average laundry processing 6,000 tonnes of product per year would see an energy cost of approximately £300,000 per annum.

The total sector energy cost is approaching £40,500,000, with the split between electricity and fuel types shown in the table below.

Table 6 Sector Energy Use Energy Type

Electricity Natural Gas LPG Fuel Oil / Gas Oil Total

Sector Energy Consumption (kWh)

Sector Energy Cost (£)

121,806,311

9,135,473

1,049,204,163

26,230.104

4,901,891

318,623

78,403,360

4,704,202

1,254,315,725

40.388.402

The energy cost ratio is shown in the pie chart below, with the cost of electricity to fuel ratio of 4:1 in favour of the fuel; this compares to a ratio of 10:1 in terms of energy consumption.

Figure 11 Energy Costs Split

Laundries Sector Guide

3.3.

Monitoring Strategy

3.3.1.

Metering Objectives

24

It was decided that monitoring would be carried out at three upper quartile sites that would give representative coverage across the differing sectors of the laundries industry namely flatware, workwear and health.

The monitoring was designed to give an insight into the washing, drying and finishing processes. It would also give detailed information on the ironers and tunnel finishers which we deemed to be large energy users which had been innovated little in the last 20 years.

The metering gave us the energy split across the three key process areas and for three different laundry product sites of flatware, workwear and health. It allowed for an accurate energy balance to be derived.

3.3.2.

Participating sites and monitoring requirements

In order to understand the energy consumption of the laundry process and its “black boxes� and to help understand how new technologies can be applied and their likely effect, three sites were selected for detailed monitoring of energy and, in some cases, process parameters.

Following discussions with the Textile Services Association, the individual companies and the Carbon Trust three sites were selected. The sitesâ€&#x; position in terms of SEC is shown on the graph below.

Figure 12 Specific Energy Consumption v Production

The selection criteria used to assess all 13 volunteer sites is included in Appendix C: The metering installed across the three sites is highlighted in Appendix D. The schedule shows there is a mixture of permanent meters being used to monitor the various processes in detail, usually reading every two minutes, together with some spot tests on the exhausts. The data gleaned from these meters was married with site recorded production data to enable a detailed picture of the process to be built.

The rationale and objectives for the metering installed at the three sites is detailed below:

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Flatwear Laundry 1

25

The focus at this site was to look at total site usage and monitor the ironer in detail (one of the industries black boxes). Monitoring the ironer will allow a large user and little innovated process to be understood.

From the monitoring installed it was also possible to understand the energy split within a laundry.

Workwear Laundry 1

The exhaust from the ironers was also monitored.

Here we looked at the tunnel finishers, which once again are a major energy user, to allow this process to be understood. The towel washer on site was monitored as well as this operation is basically a complete laundry process and it is hoped that any innovation identified here can be quantified and scaled up and replicated in a full size laundry.

The exhaust from the tunnel finisher was monitored also.

Flatwear Laundry 2

Site energy consumption was monitored.

This sites consumption was logged and the washing process (CTW‟s) was monitored to help understand the process, understand the effects of low temperature washing and assess the novel use of flash steam within the operation. The impact of product scheduling and selecting the right programme was also investigated.

From the sites we are monitoring we were able to fully understand the energy aspect of the laundry process and allow specific investigation into areas where innovation is expected, as well as giving an insight into the industry‟s “black boxes”.

Further sites offered cooperation and data to the programme and this included a number of small and medium sized laundries. These were used as reference sites for comparisons to be made across sectors and give good understanding of cross sector potential. It also meant we had active engagement from all sizes and types of laundry.

3.4.

Sector engagement

The project progressed with a good degree of support and participation from the sector and its supply chain, in particular from Murray Simpson the Chief Executive of the Textile Services Association.

There were initial meetings with the Carbon Trust and Trade Association to verify and modify, as necessary, the project plan and the reporting milestones and also to confirm the scope of the project. The meeting with the Trade Association was used to plan the interaction with the sector and its supply chain and helped with the early selection of suitable pilot sites for monitoring and data gathering. A schedule of the headline engagement activities with suppliers and sites is given in Appendix E. To ensure sector involvement a series of workshops have been held to keep the sector involved, up to date and to ensure wide participation. Site visits to a variety of laundry types were made and discussions and visits with suppliers were carried out as well. Presentations were made to a number of different groups including the National Laundries Group who represent a number of the smaller laundries, with it being important to ensure these sites had the opportunity to contribute and understand the aims and progress of this accelerator programme.

The views of a number of “sector specialists” were also sought to provide a balanced overarching view of the sector and the factors impacting on it.

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4 Key findings

4.1

Monitoring strategy

Utility metering and monitoring equipment has been installed at three laundry sites on a variety of plant. This was to enable equipment energy balances to be assembled to allow an assessment of energy use, wastage and potential savings to be made. In addition the monitoring was designed to facilitate an evaluation of the effectiveness plant operation and the potential for the application of best practice measures. The metering schedule is detailed in Appendix F. Sufficient data has been obtained to undertake energy consumption audits for the flat wear laundry 1 and the work wear site. Detailed specific plant energy balances have been undertaken for the following equipment utilising the installed meter information: Ironer – steam, flat wear laundry site 1 Tunnel finisher – gas fired, work wear laundry site Process plant energy balances have also been calculated for the following equipment using existing on site data and survey observations: Tumble dryer – gas fired , flat wear laundry 1 Continuous washing plant (with waste water heat recovery - steam, flat wear laundry 1 It was planned to undertake detailed energy audits of following equipment: Continuous towel washer – steam , work wear laundry Batch washer extractor – steam, work wear laundry Continuous washing plant (with waste water heat and flash steam recovery, flat wear laundry 2.

However it has not been possible to obtain good quality data from the relevant steam metering.

4.2

Site energy audit

The energy audits presented in the following sections have been assembled from data from meter installations, spot condition measurements, historic readings and site observations at the host sites.

The split between electricity and gas usage at the flat wear site 1 and work wear site is shown in Figure13. In both cases it can be seen that natural gas consumption is significant greater than electricity usage. This is to be expected since gas is used for the primary energy intensive processes of washing, drying and finishing. These processes are likely to have the greatest potential for the application of technologies that could make a step change reduction in the use of energy in laundries. Electricity is used primarily by laundries for drive motors, air

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compressors and services such as lighting. The technologies for achieving energy savings in these areas are already well established. The higher proportion of electricity use at the work wear laundry is likely to be due a greater product handling associated with sorting, folding and batch washing of the product.

Figure 13 Energy Audit for Flat and Work Wear Laundries

4.3

Gas consumption audits

Gas usage audits for the flat wear site 1 and the work wear laundries are detailed in Figure 14. The majority of the gas is used by the steam boilers at the flat wear laundry. This site has a large number of steam fed ironers which are using a significant quantity of energy. The gas use at the work wear site is more evenly spread, with the dryers and tunnel finishers responsible for significant energy consumption.

Figure 14 Gas Consumption Audit for Flat and Work Wear Laundries

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4.4

28

Steam consumption audits

Steam consumption audits for the major process plant at the flat wear site 1 and work wear laundries are detailed in Figures 15. The flat wear laundry steam consumption is dominated by the ironers which are clearly a major focus for energy saving opportunities. Steam is used primarily by the various washing plant at the work wear laundry.

Figure 15 Steam Consumption Audit for Flat and Work Wear Laundries

4.5

Process audits

Continuous Washing Plant with Waste Water Heat Recovery A heat energy audit was constructed for a continuous washing plant at the flat wear laundry using historic water and production data and average process conditions. Plant conditions were: Average loads

16 per hour

Load weight

100 kg

Operation

16 hours per day

Heat recovery

Ceramic filters

Recovered water temperature

50 C (approx.)

Operational temperature

70 C (approx.)

Average water use

1.9 m3 per hour

o o

The results of the audit are presented in Figure 16. The site has a waste water heat recovery plant and this has reduced the washer energy consumption by approximately 50%. Overall the plant has a very high specific energy performance with more than 90% of the energy input being used to heat the washing water or the pieces themselves. The recovery of waste heat from the effluent of continuous washing plant is established technology, but clearly it adds significant value and should be utilised wherever possible. Further thermal energy savings are unlikely on this type of plant unless low temperature washing can be developed successfully.

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Figure 16 Energy Audit for Continuous Washing Plant with Waste Water Heat Recovery

4.6

Steam ironer

A detailed thermal energy audit of a steam ironer was undertaken at flat wear laundry 1 using the installed metering and available production data. Operational parameters for the audit were: Steam roller drums

3

Production type

Pillow cases

Production rate

4800 pieces per hour

Pillow case dry weight

102 g

Pillow case moisture content in

50%

Pillow case moisture content out

5 to 7 %

Exhaust duct temperature

87 C

Exhaust gas humidity

23%

Electricity demand

8 kW

o

The results of the audit are displayed in Figure 17 and show that approximately 60% of the steam energy is used usefully to evaporate moisture and heat pillow cases. This compares favourably with tumble dryers which have a specific efficiency of only approximately 30%. More than one third of the steam energy supplied to the ironer is lost through the exhaust flue and is a potentially significant source of waste heat. Potential uses for recovered heat will need to be identified, but could include preheating of drying and finishing plant and hot water generation.

The value of recovered heat could be improved if it was upgraded by using heat pump or vapour recompression technology.

The ironer energy use is directly related to the quantity of water removed during the process. The maximum quantity of water should be removed by mechanical de-watering prior to entry into the ironer. This is limited by the mechanical de-watering design and also decreasing ironing quality if the initial water content is too low.

However the water content of the pieces to be ironed should be reduced to the practical minimum.

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It is also important that the ironing process is controlled so that the pieces are not over dried. If over drying occurs the fabric will merely take up the moisture again from the environment.

Ironers use a significant quantity of thermal energy and there is potential for recovering flash steam from the drum heating to washing processes.

Figure 17 Steam Ironer Energy Audit

4.7

Gas fired tumble dryer

A heat energy audit was constructed for the gas fired drying plants at flat wear laundry 1 using historic water and production data and average process conditions. Plant conditions were: Average loading (over 16 hour day)

945 kg

Product

Primarily towels

Moisture content in

30 to 40%

Moisture content out

5-7% (approx.)

The useful energy input to the dryer, to heat the towels and evaporate water, has been calculated at only 30% of the input energy. The biggest use of energy is to heat the air used for drying, which is then lost to atmosphere through the plant exhaust vents. There is potential for recovery a proportion of this energy, particularly if it could be upgraded by using heat pumps or mechanical vapour re-compression. The recovered heat could be used to pre-heat drying air or to generate hot water for washing plant.

A large proportion of the drying equipment currently in use across the sector has only basic control which sets the residence time of particular wear in the plant to achieve the water reduction required. There is risk of over drying wear with this type of control because no measurement of the actual humidity or temperature levels within the process is being made. There is significant potential for energy savings from the application of more sophisticated control strategies incorporating humidity and temperature control.

The use of fabrics which retain less water would also significantly reduce the energy required for drying.

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Figure 18 Energy audit for Gas Fired Drying Plant

4.8

Tunnel finisher

A detailed thermal energy audit of a tunnel finisher was undertaken at the work wear laundry using the installed metering and available production data. The finisher uses steam to relax and heat the fabric prior to gas fired drying sections. Operational parameters for the audit were: Production type

Food industry work wear

Maximum production rate

1,500 pieces per hour

Typical production rate

45,000 pieces per week

Typical piece weight

0.5 to 0.6 kg

Moisture content of piece in

25%

Moisture content of piece out

5 to 7 %

Exhaust duct temperature (stage 1)

90 C approx.

Exhaust duct temperature (stage2)

70 C approx.

Electricity demand

19 Kw

o o

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Figure 19 Energy Audit for Gas Fired Tunnel Finisher with Steam Injection

The Useful energy supplied to the finisher, used to heat the cloth and evaporate water, amounts to nearly 50% of the total supplied. This gives an overall efficiency for the finisher similar to that of the ironer audited at the flat wear site. The highest energy loss is heat in the air passing out of the finisher exhaust. Thus the audit confirms that a significant amount of energy could be saved if some of this heat could be recovered.

4.9

Plant operation

Total Laundry Steam Use In order to determine the variation in steam load of a complete laundry the consumption of a flat wear site was monitored for an extended period. A sample of this data is presented in figure 20. This shows the variation on a two minute interval basis across a week. The laundry was operating two shifts during weekdays and a single shift at weekends.

The steam use is fairly consistent through the normal production periods, although there is a significant spike in consumption at start-up. This is to be expected when starting equipment from cold, although care should be exercises to avoid boiler problems with such a large instantaneous load.

The base load steam consumption of the laundry is around 40% of the normal production load. Clearly it is important that this is minimised since this steam use is not directly associated with production. Equipment should not be left hot when not in use if at all possible.

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Figure 20 Variation in Total Steam Use of Flat Wear Laundry

4.10

Continuous batch washer

The continuous batch washers at the flat wear site 2 have an energy recovery system which returns sensible heat from the waste to feed water. The temperature of the waste and feed water for a washer at the site over a typical day is shown in figure 21. It can be seen that a high proportion of the heat energy is recovered from the waste water with feed water temperatures generally being maintained in the range 40 to 50oC. Additional energy is recovered from ironer flash steam which is used to supplement the heating of the wash water. The use of steam for wash water heating has thus been minimised at the site with recovered energy supplying more than 50% of the required heat.

The use of heat recovery techniques on laundry washing plant is a well-developed technology and should be applied to all plant where high water temperatures are required.

The electricity use of the washing plant is also shown in figure 21. The data is shown at 15 minutes interval and so the average demand of the plant is approximately 12 kW while operating. Virtually no electrical energy is being used during production down time.

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Figure 21 Feed and Drain Water Temperature plus electricity use for Continuous Batch Washer over a 24 hour Period

4.11

Ironer operation

The hourly steam and electricity consumption plus production (pieces) for a hotel laundry site 1 over a 24 hour period is shown in Figure 22. The night shut down period when zero production is recorded can clearly been seen. However the steam use of the ironer continues into the period after production stops. This is an obvious waste of steam and efforts should be made to ensure that steam heating of the unit is stopped as production ceases.

The ironer also begins to use steam again long before the production starts. Some warm up time will be required to bring the ironer up to an acceptable operating temperature. However this time should be minimised so that the working temperature is reached just before the planned start.

The use of electricity on the ironer more closely matches the production profile, although some is used prior to production starts after the shutdown. This indicates that main ironer drives are switched on earlier than actually required.

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Figure 22 Flat Wear Hotel Laundry Ironer Hourly Steam and Electricity Consumption and Production over 24 Hour Period

Significant variations in the steam use per piece processed can be seen over the working day, as highlighted in figure 23. This is because of different piece size being processed and utilisation of the ironer bed. It is important to maintain a high utilisation of the ironer bed for efficient operation. Lower bed utilisation is more likely when processing smaller pieces when there are more gaps between wear.

Figure 23 Variation in Steam Use per Piece on Flat Wear Ironer over 24 Hours

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Figure 24 shows the variation in the ironer exhaust temperature over a day. It can be seen that the unit is operational for an extended period of approximately 18 hours with a number of small production breaks.

The average operational temperature of the exhaust is approximately 75oC. Heat recovery from the exhaust gas stream could be attractive particularly if its heat content could be raised by using heat pumps or mechanical vapour re-compression

Figure 24 Flat Wear Laundry Ironer Exhaust temperature over a 24 Hour Period

4.12

Finisher operation

The monitored finishing plant at the work wear laundry has a direct steam injection stage for fabric conditioning and a two stage gas fired drying section. The plant is operated typically from 6 to 12 hours a day depending on production requirements. Energy consumption data for typical day is shown in figure 25. It is dominated by gas use with only a small consumption of electricity for the plant drives. The gas use shows significant variation with production rate and fabric weight. The electricity use is fairly consistent.

The monitored exhaust conditions for typical 24 hour period are shown in figure 26. The first stage of the drying section generally has exhaust temperatures of between 90 to 100oC with the second stage slightly cooler. There is a significant amount of heat present in these exhausts and there is potential for recovery, particularly if the heat content can be upgraded.

Figure 25 Finisher Energy Consumption over 24 Hour Period

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The finisher was generally operated sensibly with minimum warm up times and high utilisation. However this may not be the case at other less efficiently run sites.

Figure 26 Finisher Exhaust Conditions over 24 Hour Period

4.13

Continuous towel washer and washer extractor

The electricity use of a continuous towel washing plant and a conventional washer extractor was monitored at the work wear site. Both plants are operating single shift and are steam heated. A typical day of 15 minute interval data is presented in figure 27. The towel washer has an average electrical demand of 4 kW and has significant production breaks. The washer extractor is operated for extended periods during the working day and has an average electrical demand of approximately 16 kW.

Figure 27 Electricity Consumption of Continuous Towel washer and Washer Extractor over Typical 24 hour Period

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5 Best practice opportunities

5.1

Introduction

Carbon saving and energy efficiency opportunities that can be applied to the laundries sector have been identified from a variety of sources throughout the course of this accelerator programme. Best practice opportunities have been identified through a number of sources: Analysis of the monitoring that has been undertaken as part of Stage 1 of the Accelerator project The accelerator sector workshops Site visits in support of the programme to a variety of laundries of all sizes and product types and subsequent discussion with laundry operators working at all levels within their organisation Discussion and engagement with the supply chain and with “industry experts” A literature review of the international research community to determine the key areas of focus A sector questionnaire to gauge the sector attitude and take up of energy efficient technologies.

There are also numerous industry energy efficiency guides which have been published in the last 20-30 years, the most recent Carbon Trust guide being CTV040 „Energy Saving Opportunities in Laundries‟ published in2009, and these remain available within the industry for reference to guide users in implementation. A list of relevant guides is provided in the appendices.

Primarily these identify the best operational procedures, equipment specification and control measures to limit energy consumption in utilities conversion, distribution and laundering processing.

Significant technical development by equipment manufacturers over recent years has also enhanced the potential for resource efficiency and improving productivity, with laundry operators working closely with their suppliers to ensure efficient operation and spread best practice.

Similarly, improved quality standards and management techniques have played a major part in developing the efficiency culture now commonly found in laundries.

Energy surveys are a good way of identifying energy reduction opportunities on sites, typical laundry survey data from two sites has been used as the basis to demonstrate energy reduction opportunities through implementing proven best practices, the key results from these surveys are shown in the Appendix.

Climate Change Agreements have had a positive impact on the sector with significant savings being made since base year (2007/2008) highlighted in the table below showing the improvement achieved between their CCA base year (2007/2008) and the laundries sector‟s first reporting period (Milestone 5). The majority of these savings will be through adopting best practice and process optimisation as opposed to any major technology changes.

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Table 7 Sector Energy Savings Achieved Energy Type

SEC, kWh/tonne CCA Milestone 5 data (Dec 09 – Nov 10) 164

SEC, kWh/tonne CCA Base Year data (2007 – 2008) 170

Saving (%)

Fuel

1,523

1,686

9.5%

TOTAL

1,687

1,836

8%

Electricity

3.5%

The idea that process optimisation is happening is further strengthened by a comparison of a plot and trendline comparison of production and annual energy consumption.

The graph below shows the plot of annual electricity and fuel consumption against production, for 2007/2008, with a strong relationship shown between the two, with R2 values of 0.86 and 0.82 for fuel and electricity respectively.

It is believed that economies of scale would have only played a minor part in this improvement. This would only be a benefit if the process is worked harder for longer giving a reduced level of overhead when compared to production due to longer running hours and less start- ups. It would also make heat recovery from the process easier to do.

Figure 28 Energy Consumption v Production (2007/2008 data)

When this plot is revised for data submitted for Climate Change Agreements (CCA) reporting in milestone 5, this position has improved. The relationship between annual fuel and electricity consumption and production has strengthened with R2 values shown in the graph below of 0.94 and 0.927 for fuel and electricity. respectively.

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This tightening of the scatter shows that improvements in process control have been made and a significant proportion of this will be due to the adoption of best practice. This highlights that the sector has made a lot of headway in becoming more energy efficient, this sentiment is apparent in the sector questionnaire, but what is also recognised is that fact there is still more to do.

Figure 29: Energy Consumption vs. Production (2009/2010 data)

5.1.1.

Best practice questionnaire

A questionnaire was circulated to around the sector and this achieved a response rate covering 40% of the sites within the sector and over 50% of the sectors overall production.

The objective of the questionnaire was to gain an appreciation of the sectors attitude towards energy efficiency and gauge the extent to which best practice had been adopted across the sector.

The results of the questionnaire show the sector feels it is being reasonably energy efficient, but there was a unanimous view that there was still scope for improvement. The main areas of further known energy saving potential were associated with steam generation and distribution and in additional heat recovery. The main

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barriers to the sites becoming more energy efficient is dominated by the availability of capital and the cost of new equipment and the fact that laundries are now struggling to find any further use for recovered heat.

Other factors affecting the take up of best practice and energy efficiency technologies centred around changes in paybacks required, with these now being in the 2-3 year bracket, and it was noted on a number of responses that “the time horizon is becoming stricter�.

Regarding the use of energy monitoring and targeting systems that this was generally used by larger multi-site operators, with it being shown that 75% of the sector having benchmarked their performance against an industry standard or a competitors performance.

The level of take up of current energy efficient technologies was also explored, with the results in the table below.

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Energy Efficient Technology Variable speed drives (VSD),

Average Sector Take Up

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Product classification, weighing and sorting

0%

50%

100%

Renewables (e.g. Wind turbines, solar, biomass)

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Use of temperature and/or humidity control within the drying process

0%

50%

100%

Finishing process operated fully loaded/covered

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Improved burner technology

0%

50%

100%

Heat recovery from wash process

0%

50%

100%

Heat recovery from drying process

0%

50%

100%

Heat recovery from finishing process

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Energy efficient motors

Low temperature washing

Improved process control

Use of VSD compressors

Adoption of LED lighting

Flash steam recovery

Hydro-extraction press optimisation

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5.2.

43

Best practice opportunities

There are a number of generic opportunities to reduce energy use in an industrial laundry that are implicit to its operation and these relate to process control, systems, material steam generation and its use. These opportunities are all readily available and have been implemented and proven within the sector, or widely used in similar sectors and include: Table 8 Best Practice Opportunities Process Area Boiler plant and associated equipment

Best Practice Opportunity Utilise oxygen trim to optimise combustion process Install flue-stack economiser/ heat recovery, Use modulating burner control Ensure regular blow-down of boiler Flash steam/condensate heat recovery preferably with integral heat exchanger returning direct to boiler feed inlet.

Steam generation and distribution

Balance supply and demand, understand systems operational requirements concerning equipment demand, productivity and performance Remove all redundant pipe-work and ensure all steam distribution lines are correctly drained and insulated, Select the correct steam traps for the application and maintain as a priority, Have the ability for individual machine isolation.

Hot water generation and distribution

Insulation of tanks and lines with temperature control to suit the process.

Compressed air generation

Management and reduction of compressed air leakage rates More efficient compressor plants, including variable speed drives Understanding pressure, equipment demand and performance.

Laundry Processing

Piece counting and ensuring correct weights for machine loading Correct sorting and classification of products Ensuring correct wash programme is followed Switch off policy for relevant equipment Measure processing quality to ensure minimal re-wash targets

As part of our engagement programme we have put together the top ten tips that the sector believe are fundamental starting points for an energy efficiency programme.

FUNDAMENTAL OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (Top 10 Tips) 1)

Operator training of how to efficiently operate equipment

2)

Engineer training on how the process should be set up

3)

Optimum equipment set-up

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4)

Exact sorting and segregation of work into the correct load sizes to ensure optimum processing using the minimum utilities, time and chemicals to achieve the correct quality with minimal rewash.

5)

Implement the correct rewash/rework procedures to ensure minimal waste

6)

Ensure an efficient work balance between washing and finishing

7)

The complete and prompt utilisation of finishing equipment (ironers, presses and tumble dryers) to make the best use of the residual heat in washed loads.

8)

Eliminate waiting time to maintain continuous processing with equipment always fully utilised and never idling.

9)

Maintain work throughput productivity records, hourly and post these visibly as a target

10) Realistic quality control.

5.2.1.

Best practice summary

Measures detailed in the table below are fairly straightforward for the sector to implement and show good practice opportunities that are well documented.

Table 9 Summary of Best Practice Opportunity Benefits

Overall we estimate that the good practice opportunities highlighted could deliver an approximate average saving of 9% which equates to a carbon reduction of 26,300 tCO2.

Two sample surveys one small and one medium sized laundry give an indication of the opportunities and savings available at an individual site level and are included Appendix B.

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6 Opportunities for innovation

6.1

Opportunities for innovation

Following workshop 2, the sector agreed ten areas for investigation that should be pursued further. Following further consultation with the supply chain a further five were added to the list for discussion and appraisal at workshop 3 in order for a shortened list to be decided upon for further investigation and potential recommendation for Stage 2 of the programme. The list discussed at the workshop is shown in the table below.

Table 10 Suggested Areas for Innovation

The sentiment from the workshop as to which areas should be pursued resulted in four projects being strongly favoured with a further three relatively well favoured. As a result it was decided to prepare a business case for seven opportunities:

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Diamond Electrode Washing using boron diopods Laundry heat management change incorporating CHP Switch to polyester based towels Development of an industry process model Upgrading low grade heat using MVR/heat pumps Retrofitting humidity/temperature controls on tumble dryers Utilising microwave technology in the drying process A summary of the initial findings into the business case is shown in the table below.

Table 11 Summary of Innovation Benefits Forecast cost of Demonstration project

Challenge

Maximum Sector CO2 Savings

Industry process Model

£125,000

8,433 tCO2

Heat management incorporating CHP Polyester based towels

£500,000k – £800,000k £50,000 - £100,000

14,600 tCO2

Up rating low grade heat using MVR Retrofit temperature and humidity controls Diamond electrode (low temperature) washing

£100,000 -£200,000

5,600 tCO2

£50,000 -£100,000

1,296tCO2

£150,000

8,138tCO2

1 2 3 4 5 6

6.1.1

10,000 tCO2

Technology cost when mature

Estimated Payback

Approx. £20,000 per site £750,000 per installation TBC

3 years

£100,000 – £200,000 £5,000 per installation £20,000 – £50,000 per installation

3.5 years

4 years TBC

6.5 years 2.90 years

Industry process model

The development of an industry process model was one of the favoured options with the group able to see the benefits of such a model and how it could be applied within their sector and organisation to help identify and spread best practice, encourage innovation and to help further understand and explore the variances and parameters of the laundry process.

With the laundry process basically having three sub processes of washing, drying and finishing there are a lot of factors that can influence performance and one of the benefits of a model would be the ability to understand what would happen to the drying and finishing processes if the wash temperature was reduced.

The model would also allow for data to be stored from the various participating sites to enable accurate benchmarking data to be available for all parts of the process and not just the laundry operation as a whole.

Having access to this level of data would allow individual operations to be benchmarked and best practice or technological innovation to be identified.

Any such model would also help foster innovation, where different innovation scenarios could be played out to gain an initial view of their complexity and impact to help understand their viability prior to any further investment.

It is anticipated that any such model would have applications across the sector, for laundries of all sizes, with differing costs to gather the requisite data from the sites to fuel the model. The model would give more representative results as more laundries participate in its use and contribute to its data bank.

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47

There would also be costs involved in developing the model initially and ensuring it gives a representative view of the process and can cope with all the variables from differing technologies to different fabrics.

Industry Process Model

Technology maturity and need for support

Overview of Next Stage

The development of industry process models has been carried out in other sectors. The key issue for the sector is to gather enough data to be able to develop and test the model and establish suitable benchmarks for the process and its various parts. The outputs delivered by the model would need to be delivered in a way that the sector or individual companies could work with. Trials on the impact of modelling should be carried out to determine its effectiveness and the savings that can be expected and how replicable it could be.

A demonstration project should be carried out in the UK to determine the practicalities of this project (particularly gathering the large amount of detailed data), the usefulness of any outputs and the savings potential.

The estimated cost for running a demonstration project at commercial scale would be expected to be in the region of £125,000.

Typical activities to be completed for a demonstration project would include:

Annual Carbon saving potential

Gathering of representative data to develop and prove model Development of software to provide the model platform and site interface Proving trials to provide credibility and assurance over models outputs Develop useful reporting framework Understand ease for replication and mass adoption Promote findings from work Maximum – 8,433 tCO2 Assuming an average reduction of 3% of current emissions.

Market penetration

50% in 10 years

Project persistence

High – 10 years

Lifetime CO2 saving (based on 50% take-up over 10 years)

42,165 tCO2

Sector energy saving

£1,13m per year

Cost of technology (once mature)

£20,000 average per site

Payback

Average 2.5 years

Barriers to Adoption

The level of data collection required from laundries and its associated cost.

Creating widespread adoption of the model throughout the sector to develop a significant data set.

Developing a model which will keep pace with technology developments.

Cost of demonstration project and possible structure

6.1.2

Heat management incorporating Combined Heat and Power

Advances in the technology of utilising the low grade heat generated by a CHP plant can now be applied to laundries; this significantly improves the project economics and in certain parts of the market makes CHP a viable option. This has been done successfully in laundries in mainland Europe.

The integration of a CHP with a laundry site would require a bespoke design in all cases. However the general principals are; Gas fired engine used as prime mover

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All electricity generated would be used on site Steam would be generated by engine exhaust for use in ironers and finishers Heat from engine cooling would be stored in a hot water accumulator which would supply energy to continuous batch washers, washer extractors and to a dryer preheat system.

It is likely that the best sites for successful adoption of CHP would be the very largest sites with high utilisation.

There are 10 sites which process more than 14,000 tonnes a year in the sector. If CHP plants were installed at these sites annual emissions savings of approximately 73,000 tonnes CO2 could be achieved.

The sector has showed interest in the potential energy savings that could be achieved but it will require demonstration of a successful project at a UK laundry. A demonstration project could be undertaken by a CHP supplier and a laundry site to prove the plant technical feasibility and economics. However the capital costs of CHP plants installations are high, estimated at £750,000 for a suitable site. It may be possible to involve a contract energy management provider in the demonstration project. They could arrange for capital financing of the project and supply the expertise for operating the plant.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

Technology maturity and need for support

CHP is a mature technology in a number of sectors in the UK. It has also been applied successfully at a number of laundries in main land Europe, but has yet to be used at a UK site. The key issue for the sector is to establish whether CHP can be applied economically to a UK laundry. This would best be achieved through a demonstration project undertaken at a UK site. The demonstration project would need to be at a commercial scale and over sufficient period to demonstrate the benefits.

Overview of Next Stage

A demonstration project should be developed at a UK laundry at a commercial scale. This should focus on demonstrating that the technology is a suitable match for a UK laundry heat use profile and project economics. A suitable consortium for developing this opportunity would be a CHP supplier working with a contract energy management company and a suitable laundry company.

The estimated cost for running a demonstration project at commercial scale would be expected to be in the region of £500,000 - £800,000 depending on the actual work to be undertaken. Typical activities to be completed for a demonstration project would include:

Cost of demonstration project and possible structure

Annual carbon saving potential

Assessment of current plant – to establish site heat loads and energy utilisation profiles Design and costing of CHP plant Development of project monitoring strategy.

Operation to prove plant reliability and economics.

On-going operation to confirm plant performance over an extended period Promote findings from work Maximum – 14,600 tCO2

Market penetration

50% in 10 years

Project persistence

High – 10 years

Lifetime CO2 saving (based on 50% take-up over 10 years)

73,000

Sector energy saving

£934,000 per year

Cost of technology (once mature)

£500,000 to £1,00,0000 (average £750,000)

Payback

Average 4.0 years

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Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

Barriers to Adoption

6.1.3

You have already taken this out in your adoption model.

Forward energy price predictions for the UK may adversely affect project economics.

The supply chain may not put in sufficient market resources to exploit the developed technology.

It may prove difficult to raise the necessary capital for wide scale adoption.

Switch to polyester based towels

The processing of cotton towels through laundries is particularly energy intensive. This is primarily because the thick cotton fabric absorbs a large amount of water during the washing process which then has to be driven off in relatively inefficient tumble dryers. For some time fabric and towel manufacturers have been working on putting polyester into the towel fabric weave reducing the weight and amount of water it absorbs. However most laundered towels are used in the hotel industry and there has been some concern from this sector as to perception of towels with polyester by guests. The workshop revealed significant support for the project if the customer reservations could be overcome.

Towels make up approximately 40% of the product processed by the sector. It is anticipated that towels with polyester could in principal be utilised by all towel laundries. If this was possible annual emission savings from reduced thermal energy use are estimated at 10,000 tonnes CO2. These savings are based on towel with a 30% reduction in weight over those in current wide spread use. Further energy savings in site electricity use are likely since the lighter product will require less motive energy and higher plant utilisations per piece may be achieved.

These energy savings have not been quantified at this stage.

The development of a demonstration project incorporating extensive testing and market research should prove the acceptability of the product change and overcome the key barriers and concerns.

Use of Polyester in Towels

Technology maturity and need for support

The increased use of polyester in towels has been looked at for a number of years. However there has always been a significant amount of resistance from the major laundry customers because the potential effect on end user experience. Trials need to be undertaken as part of a demonstration project to test this assertion, prove towel durability, and that energy savings can be achieved.

Overview of Next Stage

A demonstration project needs to be established to prove that new towel material is acceptable to customers and projected energy savings can be achieved. A suitable collaboration would be between a towel manufacturer, laundry and hotel customer.

The estimated cost for running a demonstration project at commercial scale would be expected to be in the region of ÂŁ50,000 - ÂŁ100,000 depending on the actual work to be undertaken. Typical activities to be completed for a demonstration project would include:

Cost of demonstration project and possible structure

Annual carbon saving

Developing a suitable fabric and towel product. This is thought to have been largely achieved already.

Designing suitable test programme for new towels in commercial laundry Monitor energy savings achieved when processing new towels through laundry.

Condition monitoring of towels during trials to assess durability.

Undertaking market research on suitability for customers and end users.

Promoting findings from work.

Maximum – 10,000 tCO2

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potential

Have assumed towel will hold 30% less moisture, and assumed it will not affect the washing process, but will impact on the drying process with 30% less moisture to remove.

Market penetration

75% in 10 years

Project persistence

High (towels will be replaced on regular basis as before, trials needed to assess new towel life)

Lifetime CO2 saving (based on 75 % take-up over 10 years)

50,000 tCO2

Sector energy saving

ÂŁ1,683,000 per year

Cost of technology (once mature)

New towels no more expensive

Payback

N/A

Barriers to Adoption

The new towel material may prove to be unacceptable to customers and/or end users.

The projected energy savings are not achieved.

The new towels prove to be less durable.

6.1.4

Up rating low grade heat using mechanical vapour recompression (heat pumps)

It has been identified that significant quantities of heat are lost through laundry dryer and finisher/ ironer exhaust ducts. It is generally been considered by the industry that the recovery of heat from these exhausts streams would not be economic, primarily because; There would be no suitable heat sink to recover the energy to because laundries generally have a surplus of low grade heat.

The exhaust streams are at only moderate temperature The complexity of heat recovery installation The diversity of laundry plant The monitoring results and sector feedback identified that these barriers may be overcome if the waste heat could be upgraded to a higher temperature that would make its utilisation more effective. This could be most effectively achieved by applying heat pump technology, which is already well established in other sectors such as chemicals. Two types of heat pump technology could potential be utilised; Closed Cycle Heat Pumps – A working fluid, totally isolated from the process stream, picks up heat from the dryer or finisher exhaust and is then compressed to a higher pressure and temperature. It is then condensed and gives up heat to the recovery stream.

Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) – The exhaust stream itself would be compressed to a higher pressure and temperature and then condensed to give off heat which would be recovered.

There is an additional electricity demand associated with the operation of the pump or compressor however the coefficient of performance is high for this type of plant and far more heat energy can be recovered than electricity expended. The recovered heat would most likely be used to preheat the drying or finishing process, but could be used to generate hot water.

It is considered that this technology would be most successfully applied to larger laundries with higher utilisation.

These sites generate high quantities of waste heat over long operating hours. If the technology could be applied to the 24 UK laundries with an annual production rate of over 8,000 tonnes a year, annual emission savings are estimated at 5,600 tonnes of CO2. The average payback on capital would be approximately 3.5 years.

A key barrier to delivering the project across the sector is that the technology has yet to be used successfully in laundries. This concern could be overcome if a commercial scale demonstration project was undertaken on a

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51

suitable plant. This could be undertaken as a collaborative project between a laundry company and technology supplier. Once the technology was proven with the sector it could be developed for adoption by other laundry sites.

Upgrade and Recover Waste Heat Using Heat Pumps

Technology maturity and development needs.

The application of heat pump/ MVR technologies is well established in other sectors e.g. chemicals. The key issue for the laundry sector is to establish suitable technologies and confirm the financial benefit and carbon savings that can be delivered. It is recommended that projects would need to be at a commercial scale so that outputs can be considered representative to the industry.

Overview of Next Stage

A demonstration project should be established to determine the benefit of recovering upgraded waste heat in the sector. This would focus proving that the technology can work in a laundry and that the waste heat can be usefully recovered. A suitable consortium to take this forward would include a laundry company and technology supplier The estimated cost for running a demonstration project at commercial scale would be expected to be in the region of £100,000 - £200,000 depending on the actual work to be undertaken. Typical activities to be completed for a demonstration project would include:

Cost of demonstration project and possible structure

Annual Carbon saving potential

Assessment of current oven installations to establish equipment specification and operating practices Designing and costing of proposed heat pump and heat recovery installation.

Development of monitoring methodology and meter installation Commissioning and phase 1 operation to optimise performance and learning from optimisation On-going operation to confirm performance both in energy saving, operating reliability etc.

Defining of solution and process to roll out to other sites and/or sector Promoting findings from work.

Maximum – 5,600 tCO2 Assumed it is applicable to sites >8000tonnes production and have used a conservative COP for the MVR of 5

Market penetration

50% in 10 years

Project persistence

High – 10 years

Lifetime CO2 saving (based on 50% take-up over 10 years)

28,000 tCO2

Sector energy saving

£1.0m per year - maximum

Cost of technology (once mature)

£100,000 – £200,000 (average £150,000)

Payback

Average 3.5 years

Barriers to Adoption

The technology may prove to be too expensive to give a satisfactory payback except for plants that are very highly utilised.

It may prove to be difficult to utilise recovered heat effectively.

The supply chain may not put in sufficient market resources to exploit the developed technology.

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6.1.5

52

Retrofitting temperature and humidity control of tumble dryers

The proposition to explore the impact of retrofitting temperature and humidity control to tumble dryers also received support. The benefit of additional control would enable the drying process to be run at peak optimisation, prevent any “over drying” and ensure only the required amount of energy is put into the dryers to achieve the required results.

The fitting of additional control would lead to a reduction in energy usage; it has been assumed that it will save 8% of the dryer‟s energy consumption and lead to shorter cycle times.

Currently drying is controlled by varying the time spent at a fixed temperature which is set by experience; the use of advanced controls will become more advantageous when mixed loads are sent through the dryer as the cycle time and thus thermal requirement will vary.

Within the laundry sector new dryers are entering the market already fitted with this type of control, so it has been assumed that only half the dryers used in the sector will have the need or potential to have additional control fitted.

The cost of the required equipment and installation has been estimated at £5,000 per installation.

Temperature and Humidity Controls

Technology maturity and need for support

The technology for controlling the drying process using temperature and humidity and retrofitting into existing tumble dryers exists and does happen.

The need for support here is to prove the business case for installing these controls and thoroughly understanding the impact it has across all laundry types.

The savings that can be generated need to be understood for their use with laundries processing similar loads and those processing a variety of different load types.

Overview of Next Stage

A demonstration project should be established to estimate the benefit of these controls. The project should focus on ease of installation, savings and any increased maintenance costs. The impact of the controls on similar load types should also be understood.

Cost of demonstration project and possible structure

Annual Carbon saving potential

The estimated cost for running a demonstration project at commercial scale would be expected to be in the region of £50,000 - £100,000 depending on the actual work to be undertaken. Typical activities to be completed for a demonstration project would include: Testing for prolonged periods on laundries processing similar loads and those processing a variety of loads. Loads may vary by weight, fabric and item type.

Substantial metering of the drying process to allow savings to be calculated would need to be completed Testing to understand any perceived impact on the rest of the laundry process (finishing) Understanding the ease for replication and adoption Promoting findings from work Maximum –1,296 tCO2 Have assumed 15% of energy used on dryers, with 50% of the dryers in the sector eligible for retrofitting and have assumed an 8% saving.

Market penetration

50% in 10 years

Project persistence

High – 10 years

Lifetime CO2 saving (based on 50% take-up over 10 years)

6,480 tCO2

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Sector energy saving

£210,000

Cost of technology (once mature)

£5,000 per installation (£1.3 m for the sector)

Payback

Average 6.5 years

Barriers to Adoption

The laundry sector processes a large number of similar loads and it is whether or not a saving over timed saving can be made.

New tumble dryers entering the market will have this technology already fitted.

Can it be retrofitted easily into the control mechanism of all tumble dryers?

6.1.6

Diamond electrode washing

This can be used for both effluent treatment or cold water washing and disinfection. The principal process, is the oxidation of a proprietary mix of simple electrolytes at the surface of the anode; secondary reactions generate more stable intermediates such as peroxide, hypochlorite and ozone, which as well as cleaning at ambient temperatures are able to attack a broad range of bacteria and viruses.

Initial trials of this technology have shown that washing at 25 C is possible, with initial benefits showing Reduced Energy Costs Reduced Chemical costs Reduced Fibre Damage Reduced Water Usage Reduced Effluent Charges This is new technology to the laundries sector and needs further testing to prove what is currently being trialled and ensure it can be operated across the different types of laundry.

For the purposes of this report the business case has been developed comparing the installation of this technology in laundries with and without heat recovery on their wash process. A rudimentary analysis of returned sector questionnaires indicate that 80% of the sector has heat recovery installed, it has also been assumed that this technology is suitable for workwear and flatwear only and have excluded any health/hospital figures from this calculation. (It is envisaged that this technology will be suitable for both health and hospital goods due to the disinfection effect produced).

For sites with good heat recovery systems, the energy savings will mainly come from the removal of the need for a heat recovery system so significant savings can be made by removing the motive power needed to operate these systems.

Diamond Electrode Washing

Technology maturity and need for support

Diamond electrode technology is new to the laundry sector, the process needs testing and the results evaluating for a variety of laundry types to enable an assessment of its repeatability, impact on the product and the savings that can be generated. This should be done on washer extractors and continuous tunnel washers (CTW‟s), with comprehensive metering in place to fully understand the technologies potential.

Overview of Next Stage

The technology is new to the laundry sector rand proving that is works is one obvious factor. The impact on fabrics and the rest of the process should be understood; the demonstration project should cover tunnel washers and washer extractors and should also evaluate performance in flatwear and workwear operations.

Cost of demonstration

The estimated cost for running a demonstration project at commercial scale

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project and possible structure

Annual Carbon saving potential

54

would be expected to be in the region of £150,000 depending on the actual work to be undertaken. Typical activities to be completed for a demonstration project would include: Testing for prolonged periods on washer extractor and Continuous Tunnel Washer processes.

Testing on flatwear, workwear and hospital sites Substantial metering of the wash process to allow savings to be calculated Testing to understand impact on the rest of the laundry process (drying and finishing) Analysing the effect of process on differing fabrics and their lifespan Understanding ease for replication and adoption Promoting findings from work Maximum –8,138 tCO2 Assumed wash at 25 C and that 80% of sector will have heat recovery on their wash process

Market penetration

50% in 10 years

Project persistence

High – 10 years

Lifetime CO2 saving (based on 50% take-up over 10 years)

40,690 tCO2

Sector energy saving

£1.2m

Cost of technology (once mature)

£20,000 -£50,000 per installation

Payback

Average 2.90 years (on purely energy only, savings from reduced use of chemicals, lower water and effluent charges have not been taken into account).

Barriers to Adoption

The technology is new and unproven to the sector which may delay take up Initial capital cost may prohibit some of the smaller laundries.

The impact it has on sites with full heat recovery need to be understood.

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7‌Next steps

The next step for the laundry sector is to consider collaboration. With Stage 2 funding no longer guaranteed the sector and its supply chain must work together in order to form project teams to explore the potential of these opportunities, co-ordinating and promoting this is maybe something the Textile Services Association should take the lead on.

Regular dialogue should be maintained with the Carbon Trust to be kept aware of any possible funding streams to assist in the development of these opportunities.

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Appendices Appendix A: Energy survey extract Appendix B: Sector survey Appendix C: Potential sites for metering Appendix D: Installed metering Appendix E: Schedule of headline engagement activities Appendix F: Monitoring equipment schedule

56

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Appendix A: Energy survey extracts

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Small laundry Carbon Trust opportunities site survey (report extract) Estimated annual savings Priority:

Recommendations

1

Design and implement an Energy Management Policy applicable across the business

2

Generate a broad awareness of staff, customers and neighbours of the commitment to carbon reduction

3

Implement management controls for processing, distribution and stock management by monitoring and targeting across the operation

4

Carry out a lighting survey and install low energy lighting to improve the quality and safety within all sections

5

Survey the steam boiler controls, feed tank, blow-down, steam distribution system and condensate return; implement a steam trap survey regime. Renew pipe lagging where required.

6

Design and implement condensate heat recovery for closed circuit benefit or to preheat process water

TOTAL

−

Estimated cost (£)

Payback period (years)

Calculations & assumptions

(£)

CO2 (tonnes)

(kWh)

2,500

20

90,000

2,000

0.8

0

0

0

0

0

This is fundamental to the success of 1 above and the costs/benefits are included therein.

2,500

20

90,000

1,000

0.4

An assumption only, to achieve 5% reduction in energy cost across the business with unquantified benefits in all areas. £51090 x 0.05 = £2554

4.2

An estimated cost which will have a relatively long payback term, but with immediate operational benefits. Expert survey and quotation required for high bay and operator specific lighting to replace currently poorly located aged fluorescent tubes.

25% reduction on present estimated consumption of 14000 kW is assumed on the basis of previous factory lighting surveys.

0.8

A comprehensive survey and implementation will save > 10% in total energy for a relatively modest initial investment of £4k and subsequent annual service/replacement cost of £1k This will pay back within one year. The operating steam pressure is only 6 bar which is low compared to industry norm, but to change would be a major cost.

1,200

5,000

8

42

14,000

199,000

5,000

4,000

This is assumed to save approx. 5% energy cost, typical from previous similar models £51090 x 0.05 = £2554 (rounded to £2500)

1,500

12

59,000

6,000

4

This initiative links to 5 above. The useful heat returned may be used to pre-heat boiler make up water and contribute to the savings identified. Alternatively, pre-heating of process water would provide additional benefits of reducing wash process cycle time and providing a more efficient transfer of the useful heat. A calorifier system would also provide a hot water heating source for the current redundant central heating system. For the latter a modest 3% energy saving is assumed.

127,00

102

452,000

18,000

1.42

−

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Medium laundry Carbon Trust opportunities survey (report extracts) including detailed recommendations which were provided as an additional part of the consultative survey.

Estimated annual savings Priority:

Recommendations (£)

1

2

CO2 (tonnes)

(kWh)

Estimated cost (£)

Payback period (years)

Calculations & assumptions

Monitoring and targeting

12,694

73.6

343,653

1,000

0.08

This is essential to meet the requirements of the CCL exemption initiative. A target saving of 7.5% on kWh/tonne consumption between Dec 09 and Nov 10 compared with the 08/09 base line is required to be achieved. M&T in principle will achieve a 2% saving at minimal £1,000 cost which will cover training and administration.

Boiler management/condensate heat recovery

40,560

231.6

1,258,937

75,000

1.9

The installation of a FREME condensate return system will produce a minimum 8% saving based upon information from model installations. See further detail below.

3

Steam distribution

5,071

28.9

157,367

15,000

2.9

The steam distribution and condensate return circuitry was closely examined during the survey. Pipe sizing was deemed correct for the individual equipment demand and previous modifications to generate a defined ring circuit had improved distribution. A further modification to create a ring supply to and return from the Workwear section, tumblers and space heaters is recommended and detailed herein, saving approx. 1% in gas consumption alone.

4

Effluent heat recovery

35,000

200

1,086,956

120,000

3.4

This proposal is taken alone as an energy saving initiative and is based upon sound model data, however the costs are estimated. Effluent recycling which has only water saving attributes should be considered in conjunction with this proposal and such will improve the overall benefit.

93,325

534.1

2,846,913

211,000

2.3

−

TOTAL

−

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Appendix B: Sector survey IEEA Laundries Sector – Questionnaire Company Name:

Questionnaire Completed by:

Email: Date:

Question 1:

State of energy efficiency

How energy efficient do you consider your operation?

Is there scope for improvement?

Yes / No

Are there specific areas of your operation which have the greatest potential for energy saving?

Yes / No

If yes please give further detail: What are the barriers to your organisation becoming more energy efficient?

What payback period do you accept for energy saving projects and has this changed over the last 5 years?

Question 2:

Monitoring and Targeting / Metering

Do you have an Energy Monitoring and Targeting system?

Yes / No

Have you benchmarked your process against competitors or an industry standard?

Yes / No

Question 3 : Energy Efficient Technologies Current energy efficient technologies available to sector

Please complete the table below, by indicting on the bar your organisations percentage uptake of the technologies identified (100% means that nothing is left to do, with 0% meaning it has not been implemented at all); and please include any additional technologies you have implemented, are planned, have assessed and rejected or have identified but not yet exploited. If the technology is not relevant to you then please leave the bar blank.

Variable speed drives (VSD),

0%

50%

100%

Energy efficient motors

0%

50%

100%

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Low temperature washing

0%

50%

100%

Product classification, weighing and sorting

0%

50%

100%

Renewables (e.g. Wind turbines, solar technology, biomass) Improved process control

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Use of temperature and/or humidity control within the drying process Finishing process operated fully loaded/covered Use of VSD compressors

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Improved burner technology

0%

50%

100%

Heat recovery from wash process

0%

50%

100%

Heat recovery from drying process

0%

50%

100%

Heat recovery from finishing process

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

0%

50%

100%

Adoption of LED lighting Flash steam recovery Hydro-extraction press optimisation

Additional Identified Technologies Technology

Comment

Question 4 : Has CHP been installed at your site?

If “No�, what were the restricting factors

Potential for CHP Yes / No

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Sector Questionnaire Results Question 1.a Question 1.b Question 1.c.i.

Question 1.c.ii.

Question 1.e

how energy efficient do you see your operation? adequate is there scope for improvement? Yes are there specific areas of your operation which have the greatest potential for energy saving? Yes condensing: evap. Water from dryers/ironers; boiler flue gasses; further detail? manager/operator training; switch to gas Availability of capital and cost of new equipment; attitude to what are the barriers to your organisation becoming more 'production at all costs' without regard to energy efficiency; areas energy efficient? of use for recovered heat.

Question 1.f.i. what payback period do you accept for energy saving projects? 2-3years Question 1.f.ii. has this changed over the last 5 years? This time horizon has become stricter Question 2.a

Do you have an Energy Monitoring & Targeting system? Larger sies generally have one, smaller sites don't.

Have you benchmarked your process against competitors or an Question 2.b industry standard? 75% of sector have benchmarked their performance Question 3.

Question 4.

current energy efficient technologies available to sector? variable speed drives energy efficient motors low temperature washers product classification, weighing and sorting renewables improved process control use of temperature and/or humidity control within the drying process finishing process operated fully loaded/covered use of VSD compressors improved burner technology heat recovery from wash process heat recovery from drying process heat recovery from finishing process adoption of LED lighting flash steam recovery hydro-extraction press optimisation

Average 52% 33% 58% 75% 3% 27% 28% 33% 10% 53% 62% 47% 2% 15% 62% 47%

potential for CHP Yes for larger sites cost/finance; availbility of alternative fuels. "gas can be used to produce heat at 100% efficiency with condensing flues. If used in CHP, the gas cannot be used at 100%. Therefore gas CHP is not restricting factors? the best use of the gas"

Response to the questionnaire covered 40% of the sites within the laundry sector.

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Appendix C: Potential sites for metering

The highlighted sites in the table above are the sites which were selected for the metering programme.

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Appendix D: Installed metering Item

Utility / Product

Description

Description of requirem ents

Data Interval

Site

Flatw eat 1

1

Gas

main Gas meter

Existing half hour data from supplier if available( pulse may be available)

2 min

2

Electricity

Main Electrical supply

Existing half hour data from supplier if available

30 min

3

steam flow

new meter to iron1

new 2 inch stem meter to be installed w ith pulsed output.

2 min

4

steam flow

new meter to iron2

new 2 inch stem meter to be installed w ith pulsed output.

2 min

5

steam flow

existing meter to flat prod.

pulsed output to be connected to metering system

2 min

6

steam flow

existing meter to hospital prod

pulsed output to be connected to metering system

2 min

7

gas

existing meter to flat production DOES NOT EXIST

8

gas

existing meter to hospital prod

pulsed output to be connected to metering system

2 min

9

electricity

iron1

new nemo modbus electricity meter to be installed w ith CT-s

2 min

10

electricity

iron2

new nemo modbus electricity meter to be installed w ith CT-s

2 min

11

humidity

iron1

new relative humidity sensor to be fitted 0-100% RH = 4-20ma

2 min

12

temp

iron1

new temp sensor fitted to exhaust duct range 0-100C = 4-20ma

2 min

13

exhaust flow

iron1

MANNUAL PROBE TO GAIN DATA READINGS

14

humidity

iron2

new relative humidity sensor to be fitted 0-100% RH = 4-20ma

2 min

15

temp

iron2

new temp sensor fitted to exhaust duct range 0-100C = 4-20ma

2 min

16

exhaust flow

iron2

MANNUAL PROBE TO GAIN DATA READINGS

Site

Flatw ear 2

1

gas consumption

Main Gas meter

Existing half hour data from supplier if available( pulse available)

2 min

2

electricity consumption

Main Electricity Meter

Existing half hour data from supplier if available

30 min

3

electricity consumption

new nemo electricity meter

2 min

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

"Trans 1" (CBW) "Trans 1" (CBW) steam flow "Trans 1" (CBW) flash steam flow "Trans 1" (CBW) w ater flow "Trans 1" (CBW) Trans1 w ater temperature in "Trans 1" (CBW) Trans2 w ater temperature out "Trans 1" (CBW) Press Trans1 press pressure "Trans 1" (CBW) Trans1 press Electricity Trans1 press membrane pressure "Trans 1" (CBW) Press Machine 2 Steam flow machine 2 Machine 1 & 2 Steam flow machine 1 & 2

Site

DOES NOT EXIST new 2 inch steam meter

2 min

new 2 inch w ater meter

2 min

new temperature sensor

2 min

new temperature sensor

2 min

new pressure transducer

2 min

Electricity

2 min

new pressure transducer

2 min 2 min 2 min

Workw ear 1

1 Main Gas Consumption

main Gas meter

Existing half hour data from supplier if available( pulse may be available)

2 Main Electricity Consumption

Main Electrical supply

Existing half hour data from supplier if available

3 electricity consumption

Tunnel Finisher Supply

Electricity Consumption Tunnel Finishers (Food)

2 min

4 Gas

Tunnel Finisher Supply

Gas Consumption Tunnel Finishers (Food)

2 min

5 Flow

Tunnel Finisher Exhaust

Exhaust air flow Tunnel Finishers (Food)

6 Temperature

Tunnel Finisher Exhaust

Exhaust Temperature Tunnel Finishers (Food) Stage 1

2 min

7 Humidty

Tunnel Finisher Exhaust

Exhaust humidity Tunnel Finishers (Food) Stage 1

2 min

8 electricity consumption

Tow el Washer supply

Electricity Consumption Tow el w asher

2 min

9 Gas

Tow el Washer supply

gas Consumption Tow el w asher (does not exist)

10 Steam

Tow el Washer supply

steam consumption tow el w asher

2 min

11 electricity consumption

Washer Extractor supply

Electricity consumption w asher extractor 250kg

2 min

12 Steam

Washer Extractor supply

steam consumption w asher extractor 250kg

2 min

13 Temperature

Tunnel Finisher Exhaust

Exhaust Temperature Tunnel Finishers (Food) Stage 1

2 min

14 Humidty

Tunnel Finisher Exhaust

Exhaust humidity Tunnel Finishers (Food) Stage 1

2 min

Laundries Sector Guide

65

Description

Sector kick off meeting

plan interaction and identify key players.

Jun-10

Carbon Trust kick off meeting

Develop plan, milestones and confirm project scope.

Data collection from sector

Use site specific data to help gain initial understanding of process and sector

Jul-10

Date

Discussion with TSA and sites

Identification of suppliers and possible sites to be metered

Laundry visits

To assess potential to become a metered site and to understand process

Workshop 1

Workshop to engage with the sector and to identify key suppliers to be brought into the programme

Laundry visits

To assess potential to become a metering site and to understand process

Upper quartile laundry visits

To understand large scale laundry process and gather views on potential and ideas. Get site input for any suppliers which should be approached.

Supplier visit

Site visit with chemical supplier to understand their role and potential impact.

Workshop 2

Identifying opportunities that could deliver the step change

New Supplier Identification

Following up recommendations from sites as to suppliers who should be involved Discussion with suppliers of input required

Nov-10

Oct-10

Sep-10

Engagement Activity

Aug-10

Appendix E: Schedule of headline engagement activities

Mar-11

Feb-11

Jan-11

Dec-10

Supplier telephone discussion Visits to small/medium sized laundry Presentation at NLG meeting

Build engagement and gather views and input from smaller sized laundries

Site visits to small/medium sized laundries

Understand process in a smaller laundry and gain their perspective and input into the programme discussions with non-laundry sector suppliers to allow different technologies and ideas to be developed.

Gather sector view and input into the programme, to help understand adoption of best practice.

Discussion with suppliers to explore possible projects they could bring to the programme To decide on the opportunities that should be recommended for further investigation.

Sent out to get a broad view on best practice and sector view on energy efficiency

Telephone discussion with non sector equipment suppliers Telephone discussions with a variety of different sized workwear and flatwear sites with non sector equipment suppliersdiscussion Supplier Workshop 3 Sector questionnaire

Sector Workshop 1: Building the Collaboration and Identifying Key Suppliers.

This was an initial project meeting to engage the laundry sector through the Textile Services Association (TSA).

Prior to this meeting we provided background information on the project and the benefits it will bring to the sector.

We also spoke to the larger companies on a one to one basis to ensure they were fully engaged in the project and used these meetings to progress the selection of the pilot sites with the TSA and the major laundry companies. We had excellent commitment from the TSA to organising the workshops and using them to build a collaborative response to the challenge of reducing CO2 emissions within the sector.

Laundries Sector Guide

66

Sector Workshop 2: Opportunity Identification.

This sector workshop focussed on identifying technologies that have the potential to deliver a step change in the carbon performance of the sector, this was done using the accelerator criteria to avoid concentrating on technologies already adequately covered by the Carbon Trust in other programmes or that are already widely deployed. The event had four main aims: a)

To brainstorm for energy efficiency ideas

b)

To map the ideas onto process diagrams and energy balances of laundry processes to make an initial determination of their impact

c)

To identify generic barriers to the development and adoption of innovations

d)

To identify the development resources available to the sector, e.g. equipment manufacturers, cleaning product suppliers, Universities, etc.

A series of visits and phone calls were made to a number of laundry operators and suppliers who could not attend the meeting to ensure we had a broad and representative view of the laundry sector.

Subsequently a list of potential opportunities was circulated to all attendees through the TSA and updated as other ideas were uncovered through the life of the project. These opportunities formed the basis of workshop 3.

Sector Workshop 3: Project Recommendations.

A third workshop was arranged through the TSA to consult on the final recommendations and the barriers to their development and adoption. The objectives of this workshop were to: Present the insights the project has given into the energy efficiency of the laundry processes; using speakers from host sites to make contributions Present the prioritised list of the key opportunities and receive feedback on our recommendations for development Establish a consensus on the three to five recommended opportunities for Phase 2 of the accelerator Highlight the barriers to the technologies being adopted and discuss possible solutions.

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67

Appendix F: Monitoring equipment schedule Site

Flat Wear Laundry 1

Work Wear Laundry 1 or 2?

Equipment

Metered Parameter

Comments

Main site utility supplies

Electricity & gas

Historic readings only

Utility sub meters (limited main areas)

Gas & steam

Ironers *2

Steam

Good data

Electricity

Good data

Exhaust vent temperature

Good data

Exhaust vent humidity

Not operational

Exhaust Flow

Spot measurement

Production

Good data

Main site utility supplies

Electricity & gas

Historic readings only

Tunnel finisher

Gas

Good data

Electricity

Good data

Exhaust temperature

Good data

Exhaust humidity

Good data

Production

Reasonable data

Steam

Not operational

Electricity

Good data

Steam

Not operational

Electricity

Good data

Steam

Not operational

Flash steam recovered

Not operational

Water supply temperature

Good data

Water drain temperature

Good data

Extractor press electricity

Good data

Extractor press pressure

Good data

Continuous towel washer

Batch washer /extractor

Flat Wear Laundry 2

Continuous Washing Plant

Laundries Sector Guide

68

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The Carbon Trust is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales under Company number 4190230 with its Registered Office at: 6th Floor, 5 New Street Square, London EC4A 3BF. Published: August 2011

Š The Carbon Trust 2011. All rights reserved. CTG064