Resource Conservation
In 2021, our Western Division installed a Norchem ceramic filter. This has allowed us to reduce our water usage from 1.78 gallons per pound to our current usage, which is. 93 gallons per pound.
make strides in other areas to save even more water and natural gas. Brodie Quinton, co-CEO of Quintex, described additional efforts to build on an already strong conservation program.“ In 2022, we did a steam audit in partnership with Efficiency Manitoba( a semi-autonomous provincial government organization) to reduce energy consumption in our province,” he says.“ We inspected almost 50 traps, repaired / replaced any damaged traps, and removed unused traps / inefficient piping. The result has been a savings in our natural gas consumption.” Quinton notes that Efficiency Manitoba estimated these moves would save the company $ 20,000 per year in fuel costs. He questions whether the savings are that large, but they’ re nonetheless significant.
Another program that Quintex accessed through provincial government authorities helped the company improve its air compressor system.“ Also in 2022, with the help of Efficiency Manitoba rebates, we upgraded our air compressor to an energy-efficient model,” Quinton says. He adds that Efficiency Manitoba estimates this move will generate energy savings of 39,000 kWh / year. A third initiative involved improving lighting in the plant.“ In 2021, we also did a lighting upgrade to LED lighting with the help of rebates from Efficiency Manitoba— upgrading 282 lights in the facility.” move that can significantly reduce electricity costs. He recommends replacing all fluorescent, sodium or other conventional lighting with today’ s“ state of the art” LED lights.“ They get better and more efficient every year,” he says.“ The LEDs of even a couple of years ago are not the LEDs available today. I am not saying swap out your lights now from 12 months ago. But around the 3-5 year mark, I would,” If incentives are available from the power company or government entities, as was the case with Quintex, you may want to replace your lights sooner, he says.
Another launderer, David Griggs, director of operational development for Superior Linen Service, Tulsa, OK, also highlighted recent energyand water-saving upgrades at his company.“ Over the last five years, Superior Linen Service has made significant investments to reduce our water and energy use,” he says.“ In 2021, our Western Division installed a Norchem ceramic filter. This has allowed us to reduce our water usage from 1.78 gallons per pound to our current usage, which is. 93 gallons per pound.”
Not surprisingly, this expansion of water recycling also saved on natural gas used to heat water.“ This water reuse has allowed us to reduce our energy usage from 2,205 BTU per lb. to our current level of 1,700 BTU per lb,” Griggs says. is wash-aisle equipment.“ Going forward in January of 2027, we will be installing a Lavatec 14 module CBW, which we anticipate will help us make even further reductions in our energy usage.”
Superior Linen Service has also installed LED lighting in its corporate office and two of its nine facilities in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.
Ways to Save
Based on the comments above, it’ s clear that companies in North America and Europe are pursuing various methods and technologies to save more energy, water and electricity. Programs range from ambitious projects like the 98 % water-recovery rate that Hr Björkmans is achieving to upgrades to filtration systems, tunnel presses, or simply adding a tunnel washer that generates improved water reuse and efficiency compared to conventional washer / extractors. In some cases, such as LED lighting or steam-trap improvements, local utilities or state or provincial governments may offer incentives for upgrades.
It’ s up to each company to decide which systems are a good fit for them and which will generate the best ROI. But there are opportunities at all levels for companies to make investments that will pay significant dividends, not only in saving water but also natural gas.
The choices and timing of these improvements are up to you. But the costs of these inputs aren’ t likely to moderate anytime soon. How low can you go? The sooner you start implementing improvements, the sooner you’ ll see the benefits of lower water and energy costs. TS
O’ Neill notes that adding light-emitting diode( LED) lighting is a simple
A third area slated for improvements at Superior Linen Service
JACK MORGAN is senior editor of Textile Services. Contact him at 877.770.9274 or jmorgan @ trsa. org.
22 Textile Services • May 2026